


It Started With a Smile

by dingo8yourbaby



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Cunnilingus, Evelyn tries to help, F/F, Face-Sitting, First Dates, Flirting, Fluff and Smut, Judy and V are nerds, Judy has game, Light Angst, Nomad V (Cyberpunk 2077), Spoilers, Useless Lesbians, V has a swearing problem, V is useless, Vaginal Fingering, non-canon ending, tension of the sexual variety
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:27:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 74,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28957920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dingo8yourbaby/pseuds/dingo8yourbaby
Summary: It started with a smile, that damn smileOr was it her eyes? The tattoos maybe? To be honest, V was thrown so off guard in that moment waiting at the bar that she couldn’t even remember what it was exactly that inexplicably drew her to this woman out of all people in Night City. All she knew was that the woman that was now reclined in the chair in front of her threw off her normally steely and composed demeanor without even trying. V had to remind herself that she was a professional merc working the gig of a lifetime, not some choomba looking for some company on a Friday night.A fic about how V came into this gig totally prepared and Judy comes along and ruins all her plans-for the better. They're gonna have their ups and downs before eventually leaving this god forsaken city-together. We've got action, feelings, V being a gonk, and of course smut (Ch. 8,12,17).
Relationships: Judy Alvarez/Female V, Judy Alvarez/V
Comments: 191
Kudos: 426
Collections: Lizzie's Bar





	1. The Information

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! This is my first ever piece on fan fiction so it's probably gonna be a bit rough around the edges. I'm doing this out of pure love for my useless gays V and Judy. I'm going to use a lot of the cannon story for some framework and diverge from it in some places not only for more gay, but more happiness as well. Ultimately I wanted to portray the inner thoughts V was having throughout the story as well as provide glimpses into moments that I believe absolutely would have happened off screen. Cheers!

V had come to Lizzie’s to meet up with her contact, Evelyn Parker. She would shed light on the gig that would help make V a legend in Night City and set her up for life. At the time, things seemed pretty straightforward. Meet with Evelyn, grab the deets, delta. After making her way past the bouncers, she headed inside and walked straight for the bar. V knew that If anyone had any info in a place like this, it would be the bartender. She sat down and began her recon.  
  
_Been a hot sec since I’ve last been in this joint, wish I had more time to relax and kick back._  
  
The bartender quickly noticed V and greeted his new patron.  
  
“I’m Mateo, what can I get you?”  
  
V cast a brief glance to her right and then left, getting a read of the room and the people inside. Come to think of it, she didn’t know what this Evelyn Parker even looked like.  
  
_All the main booths on the right side of the club, a door next to me on my right, smaller open booths on the left…_  
  
A woman who was more than likely _not_ Evelyn caught her eye.  
  
_Who the hell even wears overalls in Night City? Bold move, I can respect that._  
  
Despite the club’s lighting and general chaos, V was able to make out the woman’s asymmetrical green and pink tinged hair that fell to the right side, the left had been shaved to the stubble to reveal an implant of some sort. Her white tank top helped show off her numerous tattoos-only able to decipher Mox related tattoos and a fair number of roses. She was laughing and chatting with a woman behind her.  
  
_Damn fine smile, her. Ink’s not half bad either. Maybe she’s one of the bouncers off on a break?_  
  
Snapping out of her sidelong gaze, V was finally able to answer the bartender.  
  
“Name’s V. Lookin’ for Evelyn Parker.”  
  
Mateo hesitated for a second, looking unsure.  
  
“Hmm, not sure where she is, club’s pretty big so you’ll just have to look for her.”  
  
_Fair enough, I guess. I’ll still give him a decent tip._  
  
At the mention of Evelyn’s name, she could tell out of the corner of her eye that the overall toting woman glanced her way, then proceeded to down the rest of her drink and walk away.  
  
_Damn, too late to ask for a number now._  
  
“Don’t worry Mateo, I’ve been expecting this one.” A woman in a blue bob and lavish fur trimmed outfit replied from V’s left.  
  
As luck would have it, _this_ was Evelyn Parker. Conveniently sitting behind the overall toting woman this entire time.  
  
_God, you can be such a gonk at times V. Literally can’t look past one good looking woman to find your contact. Glad to see all those eddies dropped on Kiroshis paid off._  
  
After a brief exchange at the bar, Evelyn and V made their way to a private booth to go over the more intricate details of the gig. V knew that the bigger the job, the bigger the risk. She was anxious to see just how high the risk was going to be this time around.  
  
_Gotta make it to the big leagues, this is the first step._  
  
They kept the conversation short and to the point, V already had a bare bones knowledge of the gig. Evelyn provided the bottom-line up front-Yorinobu had swiped the Relic from Arasaka and now V was going to klep it from Yorinobu.  
  
 _So that’s the big catch then, there’s always a catch._  
  
“Stealing the Relic from Arasaka…that’s the gig?” V asked, slight amusement in her voice  
  
“Mhmm, gonna be a problem?” Evelyn replied rather flatly as she drew on her cigarette.  
  
A nomad herself, V had absolutely no reserve taking on a corporation for a shot at mercenary glory. Arasaka could afford to be taken down a few notches anyway. Plus, the reward made the high risk absolutely worth it.  
  
“No, not at all,” V answered, merc confidence shining through.  
  
“Good. Guess now you’re wondering just how you’ll be able to even make this possible?” Evelyn replied.  
  
V didn’t care for too many job specifics, only the highlights. All she needed to know was what to steal, how she was going to get in (and out), and what support would be available (if any). She had a feeling Evelyn was going to go into far more detail than that. V had no interest in what she was stealing and why, more so in when the eddies would be making their way to her.  
  
_What: Relic_  
 _Where: Case inside Yoriobu’s penthouse_  
 _Support: Netrunner, Flathead_  
 _Ingress/Egress: Delamain_  
  
 _Preem. After this, just gotta get the Flathead from those Maelstrom fuckers and everything’s set._  
  
Indeed, V was just starting to wonder just how this was all going to be made even remotely possible. Arasaka buildings aren’t exactly places where you can just waltz in and do whatever you like without getting flatlined. Evelyn delivered the missing piece to this gig-her ace in the hole.  
  
“Got something for you, should help you plan-braindance from Kopeki Plaza.”  
  
“How’s a BD supposed to help? Need facts, not thrills” V scoffed. She was failing to see the connection between a usually smutty piece of augmented reality and stealing a highly prized item from a mega corporation.  
  
Evelyn had already prepared her answer. “Judy’ll help, she’s a Mox too. Besides, we go back…years. And V, I need you to be on your best behavior. Judy’s one of my closest friends and will be doing us a huge favor here.”  
  
V was slightly puzzled at this remark. “Relax, believe it or not I’m no stranger to tact, in biz or life.” she replied, turning on the swagger.  
  
They departed the booth and Evelyn led them down into the basement of the bar. As V entered through the double doors, she immediately focused on the woman in front of her. V would recognize those overalls anywhere now. The woman was reclined in a chair, feet crossed and resting on a desk topped with multiple monitors, news on in the background. She had a BD wreath on her head and what appeared to be an editing glove on her left hand. V could see through the wreath’s illumination that her eyes were closed, focused on whatever she was editing. V could only stop in the doorway and stare, taking in the full form of the woman in front of her, unable to focus on just one part of her as she edited a BD. The confident merc swagger that V conjured up earlier disappeared as quickly as it had come on. Evelyn walked over to the woman, cleared her throat, and announced her arrival to the woman as well as V’s.  
  
 _So, she’s Judy! Well, this just got a whole hell of a lot more interesting..._  
  
“V, meet Judy. Best BD editor in all of Night City” Evelyn gloated  
  
Judy snapped out of her editing, a surprised look on her face as she looked from Evelyn and then to V. She didn’t respond well to the praise Evelyn lauded her, instead claiming that she was on the verge of emptying out her stomach contents.  
  
V felt like she was under a spotlight with only seconds to say something, only capable of squeaking out a pathetic “Hey, Judy.”  
  
_Wow V, you can make a smoother first impression than that. You HAVE made smoother first impressions than that._  
  
In an effort to try and regain her composure, V successfully followed up by complimenting the tech that surrounded Judy-grateful for her Nomad upbringing and all the tech smarts that came with it.  
  
“Sensory sig amps, acoustic and emotive wave monitors. Top shelf hardware” V admired  
  
Judy looked up at V and shot a small smile, seemingly appreciative of this kind of praise.  
  
_That smile. Fuck._  
  
“Most of it is customized. Only thing factory are the casings.”  
  
“Mod all of this yourself?” V continued  
  
“What do you think?” Judy answered, a smirk and air of pride surrounding her  
  
_Beautiful and seriously talented, don’t find many girls like that. Keep it together V._  
  
“Expression translator-Fuyutsuki, right? Thought the matrices on that series were fucked up.”  
  
V was finally able to focus more on the tech and less on how Judy just came out of the blue and made her plans a bit bumpier than expected.   
  
“They were. But swapping out matrices’ simple. And this was the only model that’d support additional scanware.” Judy replied  
  
Evelyn could see that this conversation could easily go the rest of the night and politely interrupted the two tech heads with an “Ahem”, reminding them that they were here on business.  
  
“Alright, alright” Judy replied, throwing her hands up. “So, let’s calibrate it, tune it to her.”  
  
Judy walked over to her main desk and took a seat, head propped on her right hand as she scanned the screens in front of her.  
  
“How ‘bout it V? _Raw braindance_ -ever taken a dip before?” A small smirk playing across her face.  
  
V could feel her cheeks flush at the question.  
  
_Raw BD, what in the actual fuck does that even mean?_  
  
“Look, I’m no BD virgin, definitely seen my fair share. But…the raw stuff-that’s uncharted territory.” She admitted  
  
_Hopefully I didn’t just sound like a perv and a noob simultaneously._  
  
Judy gave a small chuckle. “Relax, I’ll explain everything, it’s less complicated than it sounds. Sit-down, settle in, and we’ll get you going.” She stood up from her desk and grabbed a BD wreath from a nearby locker.  
  
V took a seat in the netrunner chair located in the middle of the room. Judy walked over to her and put the wreath her head. V couldn’t help but focus on the close proximity of the other woman to her. She was able to smell whatever delightful lotion she was wearing, see her tattoos more up close and personal ( _was that the edge of a red spiderweb on the very top of her left breast or am I just seeing things?_ ), and get an intimate look at those gorgeous hazel eyes. Judy quickly checked the fit of the wreath then stepped back, briefly admiring her handiwork before walking back to her desk.  
  
“Gotta create your sensory profile first.” Judy explained  
  
“Okay, hit me. Just…promise me it won’t hurt.”  
  
V was trying to hide the small sense of unease that was creeping into her mind, hilarious for a merc that faced death damn near every day. What was she afraid of? Getting fucked to death via raw BD? Now _that_ was a thought that made her laugh inside.  
  
“It won’t. Not this time. Now sit still, look at me. Gonna run the analysis soft. Should feel a sliiiight tingling.”  
  
It wasn’t the only slight tingling V was starting to feel. V could swear Judy was using that particular tone of voice on purpose, taking advantage of the rosy tinge to V’s cheeks that refused to go away.  
  
_REALLY V? You’re on the job for fucks sake, calm your bits!_  
  
“Okay, now let’s set the optics and other sensory sigs. Look smack into these two screens, pretend it’s an eye exam.” Judy instructed  
  
“Am I gonna have to do this calibration dance every time?” V responded sarcastically  
  
Judy continued to busy herself with the software parameters.  
  
“Not necessarily. But it’s worth the wait. Gimme two more minutes and you’ll see exactly what BD analysis is capable of. One more sec, need to get the pain receptor limiters in.”  
  
_Pain receptor limiters? Greeeeeat._  
  
“Okay, all set. Need to test your profile first. Tossing in a sample BD. You can use it to get to know the editor. Now, just need to decide on which one…”  
  
V wasn’t sure what kind of BD she was in for. It could be literally anything-smut, crime, even a calming nature scene.  
  
“So, what did you choose?” V inquired  
  
“Corner store hold up in Heywood. Real amateurs. Don’t even know where I got it. Suits our needs perfectly though, you ready?”  
  
_Crime, called it. Well, kinda. Kinda wished it was something…else._  
  
“Okay, let’s do this” V replied  
  
Judy counted down  
  
“Be diving in in 3..2..1”  
  
  
  
V got used to the editor alright, and experienced death firsthand on top of it all courtesy of a virtual bullet to the brain.  
  
_Yep, much prefer porn BDs to the crime ones. At least you feel preem after those, dying just blows._  
  
She snapped out of the BD to see Judy leaning on the right arm of the netrunner chair, asymmetrical fringe framing her face perfectly.  
  
“Slow, deep breaths. Your cortisol and adrenaline spiked, but the soft activated your hormone blockers. Nothin’ happened, you’re alive and well.” Judy reassured, still leaning on the chair  
  
_Also, the fact that you’re literally a foot away from me doesn’t exactly calm my cortisol and adrenaline levels._  
  
“Could’ve warned me you know…” V replied, slightly irritated by the whole experience. But who was she kidding, she couldn’t stay put off at Judy.  
  
Judy walked back over to her desk. “You’ll be fine. Got everything set up. Let’s switch over to editing mode.”  
  
  
  
This time, V was able to navigate the editor with ease thanks to Judy’s guidance, learning how to use the different layers. After getting all the useful info, the sample BD ended.  
  
“That’s a preem piece of tech you got there” V commented after exiting the BD.  
  
“Yeah, it’s impressive right? Too bad most of the BDs we do here are only good for floggin’ the log. Anyway, you ready to do this, look at your rec?”  
  
V was still slightly overwhelmed from the virtual bullet to the brain.  
  
“Dunno, I…Let’s take a break. Still feel like that kid when…Yeah, think I’m done.”  
  
“V, there’s no time. Get it together, please.” Evelyn pleaded  
  
V took a few moments to gather herself.  
  
“OK, OK…Go ahead…Just need T-Bug to link in.”  
  
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Judy stood up, clearly not amused. V guessed it was safe to assume that Evelyn had not informed Judy to this particular part of the plan. V went on to vouch for her security specialist and netrunner extraordinaire, with Evelyn pleading her case as well. Judy eventually agreed, albeit reluctantly.  
  
“Konpeki? Oooooooooh. Thought. As. Much” Judy groaned. “Get everything you need?”  
  
With T-Bug now linked in, they could scroll Evelyn’s BD and find out exactly what they were in for.  
  
“Yeah, that’ll do. Thanks, Judy.” V said  
  
_Also, please don’t be too mad at me for that. I swear, no netrunners next time. Next time? I fucking hope there’ll be a next time._  
  
V scrolled the BD with T-Bug providing netrunner overwatch, enabling them to pull all pertinent info-everything from the security they were facing to the location of the relic. V didn’t care that Yorinobu had daddy issues or that he and Evelyn had a special “arrangement”, mostly skimming over those parts. Once everything was settled, V exited the BD.  
  
“I’ll wipe the cache and your date. You were never here.” Judy stated, rather sternly  
  
She stood up from her desk and walked over to V to remove the wreath. She held onto it for a moment for closer inspection before handing it back to V.  
  
“Keep it. I’ll put it on Ev’s tab. Portable device for handling BDs. I already uploaded your calibration settings. Not as sophisticated as what we got here but should do the trick.”  
  
_So, I guess this means she doesn’t think I’m a total gonk then? Phew._  
  
“And it keeps you outta harm’s way. Clever.” V replied  
  
Judy nodded her head slightly to V’s remark before resting her hands on her hips.  
  
“Speaking of harm’s way. Know what I see lookin’ at you? Walkin', talkin' corpses.”  
  
_Well fuck, that’s comforting. Just what you want to hear a hot girl say to you._  
  
“Relax, I got it all under control” V replied, trying to believe her own words as she said them  
  
Judy started to pace in front of V.  
  
“If you fuck up and they come knockin’ on my door…”  
  
“Judy…relax. That’s not gonna happen.” Evelyn said, trying to soothe Judy  
  
“Evelyn, please…no shortcuts. You go that route, city’ll always win. So be careful.” Judy warned  
  
“Course I will be. Besides, we’ll talk in a bit.”  
  
V stood up from the netrunner chair while Judy returned back to her original spot to resume her editing.  
  
“Well don’t worry. Won’t do anything to get you in trouble. But um…I hope to see you again?” V said, hoping that her sincerity (and charm) were coming through.  
  
“Depends” Judy replied.  
  
_Depends! I can work with that._  
  
“On what?”  
  
“Whether you come alone or with a tag-along…like a netrunner.” Judy replied, a small playfulness in her voice making itself known.  
  
_Ha! Well played, Judy. And don't worry, I was thinkin’ the same thing._  
  
A smirk found its way to V’s lips.  
  
“No runners. I promise. See ya.” she said, somehow able to conjure up some of that legendary merc swagger at the last minute.  
  
_And hopefully soon. Wouldn’t mind talking more tech with you, get a better look at those tats, and seeing more of that smile…_  
  
Judy smiled, then booted her wreath back up. This time, she had something on her mind not related to tuning the virtu, something like a certain goofy yet beautiful merc that dropped into her shop unexpectedly. 


	2. An Unexpected Favor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V returns to her apartment after her eventful night at Lizzie's only to receive an unexpected holo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Onwards to Chapter 2! Was going to wait a bit but I got too excited and decided to post this anyway. Currently working on Chapter 3, still not sure how I'm gonna mix the actual story and Judy/V's hopeless gay encounters. But don't worry, we'll get there!
> 
> *Slightly steamy content in this chapter*

~Later that night~  
  
V was just about back to her apartment, waiting to ascend the last remaining floors in the elevator.  
  
_Well, that part of the gig is settled. Now I just gotta call that Corpo bitch see about ‘procuring’ the Flathead from Maelstrom. Fuck, not looking forward to that._  
  
She practically busted through her door, heading straight for the couch and sitting down with an audible thud. She put her feet up on the table and let out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes and laid her head back. She still couldn’t wrap her head around what exactly had happened at Lizzie's. It was just another gig, one of the hundreds she had already successfully completed. It was all planned out ahead of time: meet Evelyn, grab the deets, delta the fuck out of there. What had actually happened: got distracted by a woman at the bar, eventually met Evelyn, grabbed the deets, barely kept composure around said woman while working, reluctant delta out of there. Ten years in the merc business and she had never just straight up lost her swagger in front of someone, especially while in the middle of a job.  
  
_An hour later and I still can’t get over her damn smile._  
  
V sat there for a while keeping her eyes closed, trying to relax and just ignore all what had transpired tonight. She was used to blocking out and put aside job-related details and feelings, but physical feelings-not so much. Judy’s influence on her hadn’t dissipated in the least.  
  
_Damn you Judy, you threw the whole night off._  
  
V’s cheeks were still slightly flushed from earlier, and the slight ache that had developed between her legs during her time in basement absolutely refused to go away. V groaned in frustration as she tried to focus on anything else aside from what she was feeling, how Judy alone had made her feel. She turned on the TV to see if anything good was playing tonight only to be instantly assaulted by a very loud Milfguard ad. For some reason, having a woman moan loudly through her TV speakers did absolutely nothing to help ease her situation. She quickly turned off the TV and sank back into the couch. After a few more futile minutes, she reluctantly got off the couch and decided that a shower was just what she needed.  
  
After taking off her boots and shrugging off her leather jacket, she stepped out of her faded jeans and pulled her black Samurai tank top over her head. She walked over to the sink and placed her hands along the side, examining herself in the mirror. Like Judy, V had an asymmetrical cut (although slightly longer) that favored the right side, dyed a deep crimson. Her hazel eyes had a slight touch of black eyeliner underneath and were framed by aviator glasses, which she promptly removed.  
  
 _Don’t want to wear my glasses into the shower again like last time._  
  
Standing in just her undergarments, her full array of tattoos were on display. Her main piece was a snake that wound its way around her right arm and torso, leading to a heart at the center of her chest. She didn’t normally wear lipstick but had opted for a lighter shade of black this evening for her meeting with Evelyn.  
  
_Well at least I looked damn good tonight._  
  
She stripped off her remaining clothes and stepped into the shower, placing her hands against the wall and enjoying the sensation of the hot water flowing down her head and back. She stood there for a few moments, letting the steam build up around her. Although the shower was washing off the night’s events from her body, it wasn’t helping her other situation in the least.  
  
_Gonna need to flip the handle to cold here in a sec if I’m not too careful._  
  
V couldn’t help but envision Judy, from first laying eyes on her at the bar, to snapping out of the BD and having her mere inches away. She replayed the entire scene in the basement, focusing on the little things that Judy had thrown in. All that tech knowledge, those sexy little smirks, the playfulness that found its way into her voice, hell-even the way she sat in her chair.  
  
 _She was radiating serious gay energy alright, and she knew it. Feels weird being on the receiving end this time._  
  
And the best part, she hadn’t totally dismissed V at the end of it all. Maybe V would gather up the courage to make her way back to Lizzie’s on her next day off and try to introduce herself to Judy properly. Assuming she could lay on her usual charm, perhaps she could take her out to get coffee or even dinner.  
  
_Maybe take her back here too if she’d be down._  
  
The hot water was starting to really get to V. She tried to keep her lust in check but was failing, hard. She slowly dragged her right hand along her chest, slowly teasing the soft flesh, imagining it was a certain someone doing this to her instead. She let her hand drop lower still, slowly down the toned expanse of her abs to the base of her desire. She was just about to give in when her holo started ringing.  
  
_Oh, for FUCKS sake! Evelyn?!_  
  
She quickly jumped out of the shower, toweled off, and threw on a loose t-shirt and gym shorts before sitting on the edge of her bed.  
  
_What does she want now? Has something changed? Shit timing…_  
  
“Hey V, sorry it’s late, hope I’m not bothering you.”  
  
“Hey Evelyn, no worries. Was still up and just about to do some reading. Everything alright?” V lied, trying to keep her breath under control.  
  
“Everything’s fine V. I actually called because there’s something I wanted to do for you.”  
  
“Oh? And what would that be exactly? You already gave me the goddamn golden ticket to stealing the Relic from Arasaka. You don’t owe me anything as far as I’m concerned.”  
  
“Relax V, this is unrelated to the job.”  
  
This revelation piqued V’s interest further.  
  
“Still, I can’t imagine what else you could give, you’ve already helped me out loads.”  
  
“Well, when you put it that way. I guess I’m helping out someone else, and you by extension. At least I’m trying to help someone out here.”  
  
“Alright, I’m all ears.”   
  
“Listen. I’ve never seen Jude tech the fuck out like that with someone she’s only just met. Plus, I had the pleasure of being in that basement with you two for the entire hour and a half. I saw the way you looked at her, how she looked at you. Kinda wanted to gag if I’m honest.”  
  
V blushed slightly at Evelyn’s remark.  
  
“I know you were working and like to keep things professional…”  
  
_Riiiiiiiiight, that’s exactly what I was doing…_  
  
“Jude knew that too and still decided to ever so slightly play with you. I’ve known her for years; she doesn’t act that way around people she’s not interested in. That and she’s very particular about her girls.”  
  
The blush that crept into V’s cheeks was now a roaring fire.  
  
“Bottom line, I’m gonna do you a favor and drop you her contact info. Hit her up sometime-outside of work of course. Just, don’t forget to preface it by telling her I’m the one who sent you her deets. Don’t worry, I’ll take the heat for it.”  
  
V went absolutely silent, physically unable to function at Evelyn’s bombshell.  
  
“V, you still there?” “V?”  
  
Finally, she was able to pull herself back together.  
  
“Yeah, I’m still here. I just, don’t know what to say! First off, I’m embarrassed that you picked up on all of that, I was hoping it was all in my head. Second, I’m sorry you had to witness that. Not my most professional performance, not by a long shot. And that includes getting carjacked as I was in the middle of carjacking.”  
  
Evelyn gave a small chuckle at that.  
  
“Third, thank you Evelyn. Nice catch, I was secretly hoping to land her contact info tonight. Knew that even before we made our way to the basement. When you two were sitting at the bar, as soon as I noticed her she was all I could focus on. I had to improvise the rest of the night you know, to stay “professional”.”  
  
“Well shit V, it’s a good thing I’m excellent at reading people, do it for a living after all. And I got to hand it to you, you still improvised pretty well all things considered. Judy can be quite intimidating, I know.”  
  
“Thanks again Evelyn, for everything. Fuck, now I really gotta come through for you on this gig to repay you for this.”  
  
“Don’t mention it V. I’m trying to help Jude out here too; I owe her more than you know. She can use some good people in her company right now, and I just so happen to think you’re a decent enough candidate. Sure you’re a merc, but a merc with a good heart and functional head sponge.”   
  
“Ha, thanks. Well then, guess I better get my beauty rest. Got an important text to make tomorrow.” V joked  
  
“Glad I could help, V. Just remember-you pull any shit or hurt Jude in any way and I’ll make sure you wish you’d never stepped foot in Night City.”  
  
 _Well that took a turn._  
  
“…Noted. Wouldn’t dream of it. Um, thanks Evelyn. See you around.”  
  
“Later V.”  
  
When the holo with Evelyn ended, a new icon appeared on her retinal display in the upper left corner. It looked like a little ghost emerging out of a clam shell, then briefly displayed Judy’s contact information.  
  
_Ah, Ghost in the Shell. Cute._  
  
After her display went dark, V lowered her body to finally lie down on her bed. Whatever thoughts of Judy she had tried to stifle earlier had now been let out of the floodgates, plastering the biggest smirk on V’s face. Numerous scenarios started playing out in her head.   
  
_I’m gonna text her tomorrow. Fuckin' N O V A._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: V has to remember how to text again. What will Judy say (if anything)?


	3. The Text

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V only thinks she has game, she can't even remember how to ask someone to meet up for coffee over a text message.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wild Chapter 3 appeared! Was able to knock out more of the story than I thought, though probably gonna ease up on the speed of these updates after this (blame that pesky main story). Thanks to everyone that's read this so far, enjoy!

V’s sleep was all over the place that night, but she didn’t care. She could remember snippets of a particularly vivid dream staring a certain BD editor and smiled into her pillow. She rolled off the bed and sat on the edge, wiping the sleep from her eyes and stretching her arms out wide. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was just about 9:00.  
  
_Only slept in two hours. Not too bad all things considered._  
  
She walked over to her wardrobe and started rummaging through her clothes, trying to decide which outfit to wear. Turns out it was going to be a leather pants and white tank with biker jacket kind of day. She made sure to set aside her aviators for later, had to protect those Kiroshi’s after all.  
  
_Classic merc look, can’t go wrong with it._  
  
With her outfit decided, V’s next big task was to try and come up with the perfect first text to Judy. No pressure whatsoever. She walked over to the bathroom, figuring she’d practice saying the potential phrases in the mirror.  
  
_[Hey Judy, this is V. You know, from the basement?]_ She said, raising her right hand slightly in a “hello” gesture and giving a small smile.  
 _Nah, too lame. Desperate even._  
  
She slipped on her sunglasses and put her hands in her pockets, leaning back slightly and shifting her weight to the right side.  
 _[‘Sup Judy. Evelyn gave me your deets, thought I’d say hello.]_  
 _Gonk. You’re not fooling anyone. Scratch that._  
  
She took off her sunglasses and sighed. Usually, these kinds of things came naturally to her. She never had trouble thinking of smooth pickup lines to say to other women. But Judy wasn’t like other women, she was the first one in a long time that really threw V out of her element. This time V wasn’t looking for a casual hookup, this was a woman she could see herself bantering with about anything and everything until the early hours of the morning-maybe even taking along on a gig. Jackie was her choom and all, but his tech knowledge was limited to motorcycles. Plus, he was usually hanging out with Misty in his down time. T-Bug knew her tech shit inside and out but was more of the solitary type. Judy offered not only some stimulating conversation and untapped knowledge, but a bangin’ body on top of it. V figured her best shot at not messing this up would be to just say what was on her mind. Genuine thoughts, no player shit.  
  
She looked in the mirror once more, taking up an open body posture and a neutral but friendly expression.  
  
_[Morning Judy, hope I’m not disturbing you. This is V-from last night.]_  
 _[Evelyn gave me your info, saw how much we nerded out over your tech.]_  
 _[Anyways. I’m thinking of upgrading some of my gear, would appreciate the input of someone with your smarts.]_  
 _[Wanna discuss over coffee? My treat.]_  
  
She smiled at her reflection.

  
 _Yeah, that gets the point across. And it doesn’t make me cringe when I say it out loud._  
  
V walked over to the couch and began typing out the message on her phone, heart beating faster than normal the entire time. Once she made sure there were no spelling errors, she held her breath and pressed ‘Send’.  
  
Now her heart was absolutely racing. She decided to text Evelyn to let her know she was making use of her ‘favor’.  
  
[Hey Evelyn. Just reached out to Judy, thanks again. Fingers crossed!]  
  
Evelyn didn’t reply immediately, but V didn’t care. She was too busy thinking of what Judy would say, if anything.  
  
_Is she gonna be put off by my out of the blue contact?_  
 _What if she respectfully declines?_  
 _Will she just ignore me altogether?_  
 _Maybe she’s busy tearing Evelyn a new one for giving out her deets to a merc she just met last night._  
  
In order to avoid falling further down the ‘what if?’ rabbit hole, V decided to catch up on her emails-anything to distract her from focusing solely on her phone. She typed in her credentials and logged on.  
  
_Rent reminder_  
 _Junk_  
 _Junk_  
 _More junk_  
 _Porn Spam_  
  
V was glad to see nothing out of the ordinary. She was just about to open up the net when a message pinged on her phone. Her heart froze. She took a few moments before reaching into her pocket and checking to see who it was from.  
  
 _If it’s Evelyn I swear to god. I know I texted her first but still, she should know better._  
  
[Heyo V.]  
[What kind of gear we are talkin’ about here?]  
  
V thought she was going to melt into the chair, overwhelmed yet relieved that Judy didn’t just brush her aside or tell her to fuck off.  
  
[The chrome related kind. After eyeing yours last night, made me think of upgrading my own. Figured you’d be able to help me out.]  
  
[You sure that’s not the only thing you were layin’ your eyes on?]  
  
Judy’s remark made V’s cheeks burn. Did she just say that? Were her optical implants malfunctioning? Hold up, maybe she didn’t actually mean it in that way.  
V took a deep breath and played off the (suggestive?) remark.  
  
[Alright, you got me.]  
  
She added a dramatic pause.  
  
[Was lookin’ at your monitors too, obviously. Though I don’t spend enough time at my place to justify upgrading to a setup like that. Plus, there’s the whole I-don’t-tune-BDs-for-a-living thing going on.]  
  
Judy was silent for a few minutes, making V’s heart and mind continue to race.  
  
[Ha! Fair enough, V.]  
[Sure, I can help you out with your tech dilemma.]  
[Got any place in mind? Not gonna turn down a free coffee.]  
  
_Holy shit is this actually happening?!?!_  
  
V was glad that she decided to text Judy instead of straight up call her. This way she couldn’t see the comically large grin plastered all over V’s face.  
  
[Know a place, Tom’s Diner-in Watson. Not too far I hope?]  
  
[Nova. I can meet you there in 30.]  
[Hope you’re ready to have your ear talked off.]  
[Gonna need a lot of coffee to handle all of this ;) ]  
  
V was now convinced she would have a permanent blush around Judy.  
  
[Preem, looking forward to it.]  
[And don’t count me out just yet ;) ]  
[See you soon.]  
  
V put away her phone and walked over to her mirror, making sure she looked like the badass mercenary she felt (and was). Once she fixed her eyeliner and grabbed her sunglasses, she practically flew out of her apartment and made her way down to the apartment’s garage. Once she arrived, she knew there was only one vehicle suitable enough for this encounter-her customized yellow and black Arch Nazaré. She put on her helmet (safety first) and shifted the bike into gear, peeling out of the garage and making her way to Tom’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaahhhh, things are actually happening! Next time, Judy and V finally meet up for coffee. Hooray for getting to hang out outside of work!


	4. Coffee With Milk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy and V decide to be nerds together over coffee, which V was hoping wouldn't have milk in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my favorite chapter to write so far, I love these two so much. Enjoy!

V was flying through the streets of Night City, Arch purring between her legs and 89.3 Radio Vexelstrom resounding through the speakers in her helmet.  
  
_Resist and Disorder, my fuckin’ jam._  
  
She was finally starting to feel like herself again after suffering Judy’s smattering of teases and innuendos. This was the V that she knew, the badass merc that got shit done and operated smoother than butter. She certainly looked the part of a merc you wouldn’t want to cross iron with and had an air about her to match. She made a mental note to tone down the ‘stone-cold killer’ look she normally wore on her face once she got to the diner. It was a force of habit in her line of work, couldn’t let anyone get any sort of drop on you.  
  
_Don’t want to scare her off after all, not that that’s even possible after last night._  
  
As much as V hated to admit it, Judy had the upper hand coming into this encounter. She pulled up alongside the diner and parked her Arch on the sidewalk, shutting the engine off and letting down the kickstand.  
  
 _Would it be too much to hope that she has a thing for Arches?_  
  
She pulled off her helmet and shook out her shoulder length asymmetrical crimson hair, sweeping it to the right side. She did a quick comb through with her fingers to help tame the minor case of helmet hair that had developed during the ride. She did a final glance in the bike’s side mirror to make sure she looked presentable.  
  
_Close enough for Corpo work._  
  
V straightened up and paused before heading into the diner, deciding to make an attempt at straightening out her tank and smoothing out her pants with her hands, noticing too late that her black nail polish was chipped in several places.  
  
_What are you scared of V? You’re just here to meet up for a cup of coffee and talk some tech. This is about as low stakes as it gets in your line of work._  
  
She took a few deep breaths then glanced at her watch before heading inside-9:25. Judy still had five minutes technically before she was ‘late’. V would understand if she was a bit late showing up though. Night City traffic could be a hellscape, especially when cars decided to just spontaneously explode.  
  
V did a quick scan of the small diner and concluded that Judy was in fact, not there yet. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. The second booth from the entrance was free, so she slid in the left side to reserve it. Even though she wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, she picked up the menu and started to browse over the contents, trying to keep her mind off of the imminent encounter more than anything. She had the large menu propped up in front of her face, trying to decipher what exactly was in the SynthLoaf Special when Judy slipped into the right side of the booth, absolutely silent.  
  
“Y’know, you should consider some audiological implants before upgrading whatever else chrome you got going on here.” She teased, moving her hand up and around to emphasize the ‘whatever else’ comment.  
  
V froze, then slowly lowered the menu so that just her eyes could just peer over the top before dropping it altogether. She tried to play off the fact that she didn’t just completely miss Judy walking in and joining her in the booth.  
  
_If this was a gig, I’d be flatlined right about now._  
  
“Hey Judy, glad you could make it.” V said, showing off a small cool smile while removing her sunglasses, tucking them in the left breast pocket of her jacket.  
  
She quickly took in the other woman, noticing her affinity for white crop tops and black overalls (only one side drawn up though). V thought she looked just as stunning as last night, grateful for finally being able to see her in normal lighting. Of course Judy looked the same, just somehow even more striking.  
  
“You know, I tried some audiological implants once. Damn near blew out the hearing in my left ear after having a shotgun go off inches from my face. They’re typically not recommended in my line of work-unless you’re a ‘runner that is.”  
  
Judy gave a small chuckle at V’s save.  
  
“I seeeeeee. Well, can’t say I blame you for keeping them out of your setup then.” Judy replied. She leaned back slightly into the booth and moved her right arm to rest on the diner’s back upholstery then crossed her left leg over the right, resting her left arm across her lap. A simple change of posture had V surrendering the initial dominance over the situation to Judy.  
  
_Don’t stare. Don’t stare._  
  
Seeing the two women seated and talking, one of the waitresses walked over to take their order.  
  
“So, what’ll it be gals?” She asked.  
  
V signaled for Judy to go first.  
  
“Coffee with a splash of milk, please.”  
  
_Ugh, can’t stand milk in my coffee. Just give it to me black._  
 _(Insert obligatory ‘like my merc soul’)_  
  
“And for you miss?” The waitress asked V.  
  
“I’ll have the same.” She responded.  
  
_At least I’m not lactose intolerant, else this meeting would be cut tragically short._  
  
The waitress scribbled down their order.  
  
“Anything to eat?”  
  
V had an instant flashback to the SynthLoaf and decided that food was not going to be an option this morning.  
  
“Nothing for me, thank you.” V replied  
  
“I’ll just stick to the coffee, thanks.” Judy answered.  
  
The waitress walked away to start preparing their coffees.  
  
“So V, what kind of performance are you hoping to get out of this new chrome you’re considering? Can’t say I’m a wizard when it comes to cyberware-more of a monitors and software kind of gal, but I know enough.” Judy stated. V could swear she saw her give a small wink at that last bit.   
  
V felt like she was experiencing a small short circuit. Much to her horror, she realized in that moment that she had forgotten to do a dry run of the conversation in her head during her ride over here. She didn’t have the faintest clue what kind of tech she wanted to discuss with Judy, even though she flat out told her about the conversation topic last night. She had been so fixated on just seeing Judy in person again that she completely forgot there had been an actual purpose to this meeting. This was something V couldn’t exactly pull out of her ass, especially if Judy happened to bring up a piece that she was unfamiliar with (unlikely, but still plausible). The last thing she needed was to come off as some one-trick-pony-wannabe in front of this woman.  
  
_Why did she have to remember I asked for this? Can’t she just be content getting a free coffee out of me and talking about stupid shit, like the weather._   
  
Her best hope now was to come up with a short, vague answer the question, then quicky change the topic so that they would be forced to talk about something else. But V’s pride quickly derailed that train of thought. Being a tech head was part of her reputation, but of course Judy would be the one to make her question all of what she knew.  
  
_Why am I so nervous about talking tech? I KNOW tech! And I had no problem talking to her back at Lizzie’s, this isn’t any different. Quick V, think. You’re taking too long. Performance cyberware…………got it!_  
  
She placed her left leg across her right thigh and crossed her arms in front of her chest, channeling an expert talking business.   
  
“Currently rocking some Kiroshi optics-absolutely thrilled with them. Cyberdeck is okay, know I can do better for sure but for the eddies I’m currently pulling, it gets the job done. Was looking more for some nervous system and frontal cortex upgrades, being slow and low in RAM is a death wish when workin’ gigs.”  
  
_Not lying entirely, actually. This might just work out._  
  
Judy leaned forward and placed both her elbows on the table, clasping her hands together in front. V could tell she was just about to get an earful, as promised.  
  
_Here we go._  
  
V was excited to see what Judy’s take on her commentary would entail.  
  
“Hmmmmm.”  
  
Judy took a moment and glanced out the window to her right, thinking of what exactly to recommend. V couldn’t help but take advantage of Judy’s posture to focus on the large M and rose on the left side of her neck.  
  
_Must be heavily involved the Mox, and reeeeeeeally into roses._  
  
Judy quickly shifted her attention back to V, who swiftly adjusted her gaze as to not give away the fact that she had been staring at her ink.  
  
“Your nerves can’t do any better than a Kerenzikov and Synaptic Accelerator, Reflex Tuner too if you’re feeling fancy. As for your frontal, Ex-Disk and Visual Cortex Support are probably gonna be the best bet for a merc like you. Anything else you want my advice on?” Judy replied. A devilish grin was making its way across her lips as she resumed her dominating posture from earlier, obviously quite content with her answer.  
  
She wasn’t surprised in the least that Judy was as knowledgeable as she was. V was already aware of most of the preem upgrades that the ripperdocs provided, but Judy proved she was on top of not only BD tech, but cyberware as well. She was starting to doubt if there was any tech Judy wasn’t familiar with.  
  
_Fuck. A woman who knows her chrome AND who can go toe to toe with my ego. I gotta thank Evelyn again for introducing us._  
  
Just then the waitress returned with their coffees.  
  
_Perfect timing._  
  
V took a quick sip of her coffee, successfully suppressing her disgust at the milk that was tainting her coffee.  
  
“Actually, I think you about covered the highlights. There’re still some integumentary and skeletal mods I’m eyeing, but I can’t exactly finance that level of quality at the moment. Thanks for the advice Judy, it’s nice to get a second opinion from someone who knows their shit. Cheers.”  
  
V gave Judy a small side smile and lifted her coffee mug.  
  
“Cheers.” Judy replied, clinking her mug to V’s and returning the smile.  
  
After a few moments of silently sipping their coffee, Judy spoke up, a certain playful look in her eyes. She was cupping her mug in both hands as she rested her elbows on the table, mirroring V’s stance.  
  
“So why exactly did you invite me here, V? I know you didn’t want to just hear me tell you what you already knew about chrome.”  
  
V froze and damn near spit out her coffee. Had Judy really seen through her half assed attempt at playing mediocre tech savvy? Of course she had, there was no hiding anything from this woman apparently. She placed her mug back on the table and looked directly at Judy, striving to keep her face as neutral as possible.  
  
“I truly did want to discuss tech with you, Judy. I don’t have too many people in my life that can hold a candle to my own knowledge, let alone challenge it. True, I’ve already made up my mind about my next upgrades, but so fucking nice to hear someone else’s informed opinion on the matter for once.”  
  
She picked up her mug again and stared into the light brown liquid before taking another sip, feeling uneasy about looking back at Judy too soon.  
  
_Fucking milk._  
  
She took a few heartbeats to mentally prepare for what she actually wanted to say to Judy this entire time. She shifted back to her casual yet poised posture from earlier and decided to look out the window.  
  
“That and maybe there was this small thing about wanting to see this beautiful woman again. This time when we weren’t working and could actually talk about normal things.” She shifted her gaze back to Judy.  
  
V’s truthful revelation both intrigued and delighted Judy. She set down her mug then propped her head on her right hand, resting the left on the table. Her eyes became softer and a heartfelt smile spread across her lips. V thought she was absolutely gorgeous in that moment. The heartfelt smile quickly became more of a smirk in nature and Judy shifted back to a more casual position.  
  
“Well then, what other ‘normal’ things did you want to talk about?” She probed, still very interested in keeping their meeting going, much to V’s delight.  
  
V was grateful her sincerity played off, trying to play the charmer 24/7 could be exhausting and just insincere overall.  
  
“I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been looking at your ink. Picked up that you’ve got a few Mox ones and quite a number of roses too. Got any stories behind ‘em? If you’re willing to share them, that is.” V asked  
  
Judy took a deep gulp from her mug.  
  
“I see you aren’t exactly a stranger to the needle yourself.” She said, pointing to V’s chest. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” She teased.  
  
V glanced down at the serpent scales that were slightly peeking out the top of her white tank top. She shrugged off her jacket to give Judy a better look at (most) of the piece. With only the tank covering her, Judy could make out the tail of the serpent coiling around V’s upper right arm and a bit of the body on top.  
  
“Got this when I was 20, it’s my biggest piece. Chose the serpent because it’s able to strike quickly and silently, just how I like to operate-if possible.”  
  
V decided to take it a little further. She slowly drew down her tank in the middle, just enough so that Judy could see the tip of the heart that was hidden at the middle of her chest.  
  
“The heart represents me. My drive, my passion, the core of who I am. Also reminds me of my mortality, keeps me grounded.”  
  
Judy seemed impressed with V’s forthright answer, giving an appreciative nod.  
  
“Got some more below deck, but I don’t think flashing people at a diner is exactly classy behavior. Plus, I feel like you’d at least have to take me out to dinner first.” V grinned  
  
Judy chuckled at the remark, making V smile.  
  
“Fiiiiiine, I guess that’s fair.” She played back  
  
Judy took a quick sip from her mug.  
  
“Alright, guess I gotta keep my end of the bargain now. As you’ve correctly pointed out, I do rep the Mox. They piss me off from time to time and my boss can be a real bitch, but I have them to thank for being able to make it this far in Night City.”  
  
She went on to point out several pieces of text on her arms.  
  
“Huge music fan, have a couple verses here and there. Got some other phrases that mean a lot to me as well.”  
  
She pulled the right strap of her overalls away slightly to fully reveal a fire truck on her right upper chest, just below the collarbone.  
  
“Found and old firetruck in a scrap yard when I was 16. Decided to take some time and fix it up. And I did, got it up and running-good as new. Figured what better way to commemorate than getting it inked.”  
  
She took another sip from her mug, finishing the rest of its contents before shooting V a not so innocent look.  
  
“And I also have a few lower down as well and agree that it wouldn’t exactly be good look to show them off in a place like this.”  
  
Can only imagine what the other ink is you’re rockin’. Wouldn’t mind showing you the rest of mine either.   
  
“Guess we’ll have to buy each other dinner then.” V joked  
  
She was suddenly aware she had said this out loud instead of in her head as originally thought. The all too familiar blush crept back into her cheeks with a vengeance as was accompanied by that pesky ache that started to creep between her thighs. She grabbed her mug in haste and downed the rest of her milk tainted coffee, then tried to quickly divert the conversation from where it could potentially go.  
  
“Cool shit Judy, thanks for sharing.” V quickly voiced.   
  
“Likewise.” Judy replied, cutting V a break. She let the comment slide, but not go unnoticed as her playful smile returned.   
  
Just then, Judy received a holo and excused herself, quickly stepping out to take the call. V sat there for a few moments while Judy handled business. She returned to the booth a few minutes later, visibly annoyed.  
  
“Suzy needs me to come in early. Gonna need to cut this short, sorry V.”  
  
Judy looked genuinely upset after giving V the news.  
  
“No worries, Judy. If anyone can sympathize with work getting in the way, it’s me. Wait here a sec, I’ll go pay the tab.”  
  
She got up and went to the counter to pay the waitress. As the waitress was handing her the receipt, she had a brilliant idea spring into mind. She walked back to the booth and casually leaned on the side, facing Judy.  
  
“So I’m not sure how you got here, but I took my Arch. I always keep a spare helmet in the cache…and I was wondering if you would like a lift?” V had a cross between a cocky and excited smile plastered on her face.  
  
Now it was Judy’s turn to blush. She quickly turned away to hide the huge grin that was rapidly widening across her face. Once she composed herself, she looked back at V.  
  
“Always been a fan of bikes, Arch is a preem brand too. Sure, why not. Wouldn’t mind a lift to Lizzies.”  
  
V’s stomach was doing somersaults, she was in utter disbelief at the sheer luck she was having with Judy today.  
  
They stood up from the booth and made their way out to the sidewalk to where V’s Arch was parked. V got out the extra helmet and held it out to Judy, helping her adjust the fit once it was on her head. V adjusted her own helmet and put her aviators back on before starting up the bike. The engine roared to life as V adjusted the gears. She was just about to take off when she felt a firm but gentle squeeze around her waist.  
  
 _Fuck, this feels so good. I could get used to this._  
  
V leaned in close to the bike and took off, driving closer to the speed limit since she had a passenger on board. She was utterly enraptured by the feeling of having Judy this close to her, feeling her arms tight around her waist.  
  
Fifteen minutes later and V was pulling up to the parking lot of Lizzies, turning off the Arch so that Judy could get off safely. She dismounted and handed the helmet back to V, shaking her hair slightly to bring back some volume.  
  
“Thanks for the ride V, and the coffee. I had a lot of fun this morning, was nice to get out of the basement and not just focus on dolls and porn for once.” She joked, a small smile in the left corner of her mouth.  
  
_There she goes again. Come on V, you’ve been doing well, you’re almost there._  
  
“I also had a great time. Thanks for agreeing to meet up with me, Judy. It was nice not having to shoot anyone in the face before 10AM.” V teased “But I mean, if you wanted to focus on dolls and porn instead, I’d be willing to assist.” She smirked.  
  
Judy rolled her eyes at V, but still smiled.  
  
“Stick to what you’re good at, V. Good luck with Ev’s gig, hope to see you again when it’s over.”  
  
She leaned over and gave V a quick peck on the cheek before walking towards the entrance of Lizzie’s. V was frozen in place, trying to convince herself that Judy had actually kissed her. A quick peck on the cheek, but a kiss none the less.  
  
_Judy you smooth son of a bitch._  
  
Judy was just about to walk through the doors to Lizzie’s when V called to her from across the parking lot.  
  
“Judy! Don’t forget, I kept my word-no netrunners!”  
  
Judy laughed and playfully flipped V off before walking through the doors.  
  
V put her helmet back on and revved up the Arch once more, deciding to take the scenic route back to her apartment. The entire ride had her sporting the biggest, cockiest smile across her stupid gonk face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: V can't remember how to do feelings and actually has to do her job again, cue the flying bullets. Buckle up, we're diving back into the main story.


	5. The Pickup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V is pissed that she has to do her job again, so she decides to take it out on Militech and Maelstrom. 
> 
> Alternative Summary:  
> V actually does merc work sometimes and isn’t a useless lesbian 24/7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty much on par for the canon game story. Buckle up, it's gonna get bumpy.

It was 7am on a Sunday and V felt on top of the world.  
  
Her meetup with Judy yesterday morning had provided a much-needed respite from her typical day to day shenanigans of running fixer gigs and busting up organized crime. She had woken up feeling the best she had in months, all thanks to Judy. Those first few minutes awake were spent deliberating what would be the perfect way to ask her out on a proper first date.  
  
_If I can figure something out by tonight that would be nova._ She smiled to herself  
  
V was barely able to contain her excitement thinking of all the possibilities. She quickly immersed herself in brainstorming both activities and locations. All of that was suddenly put on hold thanks to a holo from none other than Dexter DeShawn. The call brought her out of her daydreaming and straight back to the grind, her mood alongside it. V couldn’t exactly blow him off, he was her fixer and the one in charge of the heist after all. He began by inquiring about how things had gone during her meetup with Evelyn. V was able to report her success with the BD, stating that she knew the exact location of the Relic inside Yorinobu’s penthouse as well as the kind of security they’d be up against. Dex seemed pleased with her progress thus far, but wanted to know what route she was going to take for procuring the Flathead bot. She had two options: use Meredith Stout of Militech or deal directly with Maelstrom.

It was 7:19 am and V was already over it.  
  
J _ust my luck having to choose between a Corpo cunt and Maelstrom. Why can’t I just shoot them BOTH in the face and walk away with the Flathead instead? That would make this whole thing a helluva lot easier._  
  
She sighed deeply after reaching a decision.  
  
“Gonna go ahead and take my chances working alongside Militech, I’ll call Stout after this to arrange a meeting for this afternoon. Wanna get this shit over as soon as possible.”  
  
_Hope this is the one and only time I work for a Corp._  
  
“Sounds good Miss V. I look forward to hearing about your success.” Dex ended the holo.  
  
She grunted in frustration as she got up from her bed and walked over to the bathroom to take a quick shower.  
  
_Don’t know why I’m bothering, chances are I’m gonna need to wash a lot of blood off myself when I get back._  
  
She made herself decent again, deciding to forego the little amount of makeup she typically employed.  
  
 _Again, probably just gonna get it all messed up. No need. Plus, not trying to impress this Corpo bitch._  
  
V was in a particularly brutal mood after taking Dex’s call but didn’t pay any mind to her sudden mood shift. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes she just wanted to do a 180 of how she normally operated and handle things quick and dirty instead of playing it cool and calculated. Today was one of those days. She had a loose plan in mind for playing nice with Militech and Maelstrom but was already mentally preparing for fighting her way out guns blazing. She walked over to the room that held her weapons and equipment stash. There was no need to worry about being stylish today, only functional-V wasn’t fucking around today. She suited up in one of her more heavy-duty outfits: reinforced military boots, tan dualweave cargo pants, black tactical turtleneck, Arasaka bulletproof vest, and silver polymer-hybrid military aviators.  
  
_Hate the Corp, but damn they make a good bullet resistant vest. And I got this one for free after “relieving” that one guard of it last month._  
  
She examined the weapons cache plastered alongside the walls, deciding she would take a light but powerful approach to this job. “Light” being a relative term. V knew just the setup she wanted to employ for close quarters contact: two small arms and a melee. She pulled a machete off the wall, checked the edge, then put it into its sheath and strapped it behind her back. Next, she retrieved her OG power pistol: m-10AF Lexington aka ‘ _Dying Night_ ’. She checked the slide action and placed the pistol in her left hip holster. She was feeling remarkably vicious and chose her Malorian Arms quadruple Crunch modded power revolver ‘ _Overture_ ’ as her final weapon. She did a quick inspection of the chamber before placing it into the holster on her right hip. Once suited up she called Meredith Stout of Militech, her image popping up in the upper left corner of her retinal display.  
  
“Stout here. Start by telling me how you got this number.”  
  
_Yep, classic Corpo bitch._  
  
“Know more than your number. Heard you misplaced a convoy.” V teased. She heard a man struggling in the background but didn’t pay it any mind. Wasn’t her problem after all.  
  
“Spill what you know. Don’t make we wait.” She barked  
  
“Hard pass, not on the holo. Let’s meet, cut a deal.”  
  
Meredith sighed.  
  
“A deal…fine. First exit off Skyline driving towards the NID. Storm channel under the overpass-meet you there.” Meredith immediately hung up.  
  
_Storm channel under the overpass? Sounds like some shady shit to me. Wish I could name the location for once._  
  
V walked back into the room that housed her gear and started furiously loading bullets into magazines.  
  
_Could’ve been working on asking Judy out, but nooooooooooooooo. Gotta deal with this bullshit instead._  
  
She forced the last bullet into the mag. With everything strapped and loaded, she was just about to exit the room before deciding on grabbing a few grenades-for good measure.  
  
_Because fuck ‘em, that’s why._  
  
Looking like death incarnate, she proceeded to head out the door to meet up with Militech.  
  
  
As expected, it was some shady shit. V tried to play nice and shake Stout’s hand, only for one of her goons to knock her out cold. She woke up on the ground, Stout standing over her and accusing her of blackmail. They picked her up and propped her against the SUV, then proceeded to jack into her personal link. They intended to question V and verify if she was telling the truth or not.  
  
_One typically asks for consent first, assholes._  
  
V did tell the truth of course, she genuinely had nothing to hide and certainly wasn’t working for Stout’s rival or whoever the hell she kept questioning her about.  
  
_Bitch is paranoid as fuck about this Anthony Gilchrist dude._  
  
After the interrogation, V informed Stout that she knew about the missing transport’s location and was just looking for a favor in return. The favor of course, was the Flathead. Once V stated that she’d point the finger to the ones responsible for ripping Militech off, Stout agreed to work with V and let her keep the Flathead. She was curious to see what V’s plan would be for dealing with Maelstrom, they weren’t exactly going to hand over the bot out of the kindness of their hearts. V went on to explain that she could either go in guns blazing and take it by force or buy the bot off of their new leader, Royce. Meredith immediately sided with the latter. The only condition-pay with their money. V gladly accepted the Militech credchip, glad it was going to be their eddies on the line and not hers.  
  
“You pay with that chip, and that’s all you gotta worry about. Try to fuck me in any way, and I’ll be seeing you real soon.” Meredith quipped.  
  
_I’d like to see you try, bitch._  
  
Meredith and her crew quickly loaded up into their SUV and sped away down the sewer tunnel, leaving V alone. She took a closer look at the credchip, a wicked smile slowly making its way over her lips.  
  
_I wonder…_  
  
She slotted the shard into her neural port, the upload sequence jumping into view in front of her with a six-by-six code matrix alongside it.  
  
[NEUTRALIZE MALWARE] 55 1C E9  
[DATAMINE: COPY MALWARE] 80 80 FF 55  
  
_You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me, I’ve seen tighter ICE on a S.C.S.M. How are these gonks Arasaka’s rival again?_  
  
[CRACK SECURITY]  
V mapped out 80 80 FF 55 1C E9 on the code matrix, effortlessly. She kept smiling that wicked smile as she instantly became 10,000 eddies richer.  
  
_Thanks for the tip, Corpo shits._  
  
Now that Militech was taken care of, it was time to deal with Maelstrom. Jackie would be joining her for this part, so she decided to give him a call and update him on the gig. V was immediately greeted by her best friend’s goofy face.  
  
“V! Long time no see _chica_ , what’s new?”  
  
“Jackie! Good to see you choom. Been doing my job for once, finally, I was actually calling to give you an update on the Maelstrom gig. Got a plan to meet with them in about an hour, you free to do this?  
  
“For you V, I’ve got all day. And night too!” He joked  
  
“Preem. Meet you outside the All Foods plant. And Jackie, pack heavy. I don’t see this ending peacefully.”  


  
\---Some Time Later---  
  
“Sheesh, finally!” Jackie teased as V finally made her way to the All Foods plant, Maelstrom’s current base of operations. She had opted to walk to the plant while Jackie had driven his custom red Arch.  
  
“Let’s hear what you squared away.” He asked, resting comfortably on his bike.  
  
V confirmed that they were going to have to meet with Maelstrom, doubtful they were going to honor the original agreement (and payment) Dex had made with their previous leader.  
  
“Well, whatever. Let’s go get this tech. You scheme yet? You got a plan?”  
  
The more V thought about it, the less she was inclined to deal peacefully with these goons. They were a violent gang after all, no one would miss them if they were gone. Hell, the city usually rewarded her when she took them out. She’d much rather just go in and take the bot by force. But this was their turf, they would be more than prepared for a frontal assault.  
  
_Doesn’t mean they can’t be taken down from the inside…_  
  
Ultimately, she gathered herself and decided that they would pay Maelstrom off, again.  
  
“We’ll pay again, but with Militech cred. We found some common ground, so they’re footin’ the bill.”  
  
Jackie wasn’t happy seeing all those eddies go to waste. V understood, but it was never their money to begin with.  
  
 _Don’t worry Jackie, neither Maelstrom nor Militech will see a single eddie of this._  
  
“So, into the borgbeasts’ den?” He asked   
  
“Let’s go see these bastards.” V replied  
  
Jackie stepped off of his Arch and they began walking towards the All Foods entrance  
  
“I hate these borg fuckers, just had to be them.” Jackie groaned  
  
“You can say that again.” V agreed  
  
  
After using the intercom, they were allowed inside and made their way through the lower level of the plant. V made sure to take note of all the fortifications and defense measures Maelstrom had put in place.  
  
_Decent enough security measures-cameras, antipersonnel mines. Can’t exactly write them off, but Jackie and I have encountered worse. Fuck I hate turrets though._  
  
They eventually found their way to the elevator that would take them to meet Royce. Upon reaching their destination, the doors opened and they were instantly greeted by one of the more bizarre Maelstromers-a man named Dum Dum.  
  
_The fuck kind of name is Dum Dum? Christ these gonks are a weird bunch. Can’t wait to see what this Royce guy is like. If he’s anything like this genius here, we’re so fucked._  
  
V subtly checked her side irons to make sure they were still easily accessible and felt the reassuring weight of the machete strapped to her back.  
  
They were ‘encouraged’ to take a seat on the two sofas to the left of the room. Jackie wasn’t feeling it, but V was able to calm him down and convince him to play along.  
  
_Can’t have things go tits up just yet Jackie, need to lay eyes on the bot first._  
  
After politely refusing some unknown inhaler substance from Dum Dum, they were finally shown the Flathead and offered a demonstration of its capabilities.  
  
_Nova, one step closer…_  
  
V thought it was kinda funny how Dum Dum was nerding out over the bot’s features. After finishing up the demo, he spoke again.  
  
“So, whatcha think?”  
  
“We’ll take it.” V responded.  
  
“Preeeeeem. Let’s see your cred.” He grinned.  
  
_Here goes the real test._  
  
“Brick got it, it’s all paid up.”  
  
V didn’t want to play this card, she realized this had a slim to nonexistent chance of working. Still, it could potentially make this entire encounter painless. Of course as soon as she mentioned Brick’s name, the new self-appointed leader Royce made himself known to the room.  
  
 _And here we fucking go._  
  
“Brick got it….Heh.” He scoffed before walking over to V and pulling out his iron, shoving right in V’s face.  
  
_Wish I was back at Tom’s Diner right about now._  
  
“I don’t see any fuckin’ Brick around here, do you?” He asked.  
  
V knew she only had a few seconds to give this fucker a suitable enough answer and buy her and Jackie some time.  
  
“C’mon. Can’t expect me to pay for this thing twice.” She sneered.  
  
“And who the fuck’re you to say what can and can’t be? You’ll pay twice because I say you’ll pay twice!” He retorted, still holding the gun in her face.  
  
_You’re really trying my patience, asshole. I just serviced my iron last week, and I’m itching to see how they perform now._  
  
“All right, you want the Flathead. I better see some eddies.”  
  
_Oh, I’ll show you some “eddies” alright._  
  
“Seein’ as you already got the eddies for it, you oughta offer us a discount, a big one.” V countered  
  
Royce wasn’t expecting that response from V, especially when he had a gun to her face.  
  
“A discount? Fuuuuuck. Y’know, you never did say who sent you, never did say who you’re workin’ for…”  
  
_This hole just keeps getting deeper._  
  
“Dexter DeShawn, that’s who.” V spat, trying to keep her anger in check.  
  
Royce and his goons had a good chuckle at that, going on to mock the fixer’s well known leave of absence and physical appearance. In that moment, Royce ended up making a fatal mistake-turning his back on V. With cyber enhanced reflexes, she drew Overture from its holster and placed it directly under Royce’s chin.  
  
“He’s alive, well and kickin’. And he sends his regards.” She smirked.  
  
V knew this was going to get ugly and fast, so she decided to have fun with the moment that was fast unraveling before her.  
  
“So, you gonna consider that discount now?” She asked, innocently.  
  
Royce hesitated, clearly trying to think of a way to still come out on top of this.  
  
_This is taking way too long._  
  
“Actually, you know what? Fuck this. Bang.”  
  
She pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit's about to go down y'all. Grab the popcorn, we've got more canon to sift through.


	6. Peace Was Never an Option

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V realizes she has certain feelings for Judy, only took a shooting rampage to realize it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V really needs to learn how to properly channel her feelings. Back into the borgden we go!
> 
> *added violence tag for this chapter*

The hollowpoint bullet traveled from V’s revolver and connected with Royce’s skull, making it explode in a spray of blood and gore. All hell broke loose as she and Jackie drew their weapons and started to lay waste to the small handful of remaining Maelstromers. V dived behind the couch for cover, switching Overture to her left hand while simultaneously drawing her machete in one smooth, quick motion. She rolled to the right, rising to quickly decapitate the Maelstromer that was threatening her right flank.  
  
_Sorry, Dum Dum._  
  
The room soon became a killing floor, fitting enough since the plant’s original use was for meat processing. Jackie and V made quick work of their assailants, promptly checking each other over and confirming that they were both unharmed after the exchange. A quick glance back to the elevator concluded that the building had gone into lockdown.  
  
“ _Mierda_! We’re cut off!” Jackie exclaimed  
  
_Royce you fucker, of course you expected something like this._  
  
She walked over to his corpse and gave it a sharp kick for good measure. She picked up the pistol still gripped in his hand and briefly examined it.  
  
_‘Chaos’, not half bad. Always wanted a tech pistol._  
  
She walked to the back room to make sure there weren’t any more surprises in store for them. She was in the middle of looting some containers when an item on the desk caught her eye.  
  
“Well well, what do we have here?”  
  
It was a BD wreath. Epic quality by the looks of it. A small dataplate informed V that this was a Sweet Dreams model-armor laminated. She hooked it around the machete’s sheath for ‘safe’ keeping.  
  
_Wonder if Judy would be interested in a piece like this? Fuck, can’t be thinking about her right now, no matter how much I want to._  
  
Jackie walked over to the table where the Flathead was, making sure to grab both the control shard and the case.  
  
“Alright, got the bot! Let’s go. The quicker the better.” He exclaimed  
  
They made their way to the adjacent room on the right, with V pausing by a terminal to peek into their net. She brought up the local network and selected [Remote Takeover], taking full control of most of the plant’s cameras. She wasn’t as skilled a ‘runner as T-Bug, but she could still do some damage. She uploaded a mass vulnerability daemon that infected several of the Maelstromers then proceeded to throw in some short circuit and overheat quickhacks, as much as her RAM could handle. Once finished, she deactivated the cameras.  
  
_That should at least slow them down a bit, iron will do the rest._  
  
Jackie turned on the production line from the terminal, clearing them a passage down to the main floor. They squeezed through the tight first portion of the production line before finding a ladder that enabled them to descend. Normally V would have preferred a somewhat stealthy approach to an operation like this, she prided herself on her ability to balance firepower and quickhacks. Today was different, she had run out of patience-Dex made short work of it while Militech and Maelstrom obliterated the ashes.  
  
_Haven’t been this hotheaded on a job in a while, and I’ve been in shittier situations than this. Not sure what the hell’s going on today but whatever. Job’s almost done._  
  
As soon as V and Jackie hit the main floor, the bullets started flying. She primed one of her incendiary grenades and swiftly lobbed it in the direction of enemy fire. As the explosion took hold, she drew Overture and Dying Night and charged onto the floor.  
  
_Alright fuckers, let’s **dance**!_  


  
~~~One rampage later~~~  
  
The whole escape became a blur. V ended up running out of mags for Dying Night and was left with a mere four rounds left in Overture’s chamber. There hadn’t been more than 20 Maelstromers inside the plant, but V and Jackie took care of every last one of them. V wasn’t a poor shot by any means, she just made extra sure that these gonks were never getting up again. She was just about to put her machete back in its sheath when she noticed the sheer volume of blood and viscera that decorated it. Grimacing slightly, she tried to wipe it off as best as she could given the circumstances.  
  
_Pretty sure I look more like this machete than an actual human right now._  
  
Jackie was breathing heavily after jogging to catch up with V. They were finally making their way out of the plant’s garage door. Once outside, they were instantly greeted by a (friendly) Militech drone.  
  
_Sure enough, they’re here right as we finish cleaning up this mess for them. Typical._  
  
Jackie grabbed V’s arm, just enough to signal to V that he wanted to stop.  
  
“Hold up V, got a moment to talk?” His voice had a slight tinge of concern.  
  
“Anything for you, choom. What’s up?” V replied.  
  
“ _Chica_ , what got into you back there? Haven’t seen you go quite so gun-ho in a while. And when did you start strappin’ a machete? Even the gear you chose to wear today-peace was never an option, was it?”  
  
V sometimes forgot that Jackie could see right into her soul. But he was right, her attitude and mind had been made up long before she even set foot in the plant.  
  
“Look, I’m not complaining or nothin’. You kept your cool the entire time and didn’t do anything too reckless. I mean, blowing Royce’s face off might have been a tad reckless, but I was ready to end those fuckers even before you even pulled the trigger.” He smiled  
  
V gave a small chuckle.  
  
“Truth is, Dex riled me up this morning and then I had to deal this this Corpo cunt who ended up interrogating me. Whole morning just pissed me off, so I figured who better to take it out on than Maelstrom.”  
  
She was telling the truth for the most part, to herself and Jackie. Those events had made her agitated. But there was still something more, something deeper.  
  
“ _Dios Mio_ , that is rough. And I understand, we’ve all been in shit places like that before. Just, give me a bit more of a heads-up next time.”  
  
He gave V a small smile and clasped a hand on her shoulder. V returned the gesture.  
  
“Will do Jackie, thanks for having my back today. You’re the best choom a girl could ask for.” She smiled at him, then took a small step back  
  
“Listen. You go on without me, call Dex and tell him the good news. And tell Misty and Mama Welles I said ‘Hi’. Gonna take a few minutes here to clean myself off before goin’ anywhere, else someone might mistake me for a cyberpsycho. Thanks again for everything Jackie, glad we’re finally able to put this gig to rest.”  
  
Jackie gave a small laugh.  
  
“Do you _chica_ , though you might be here for a while-got a lot to clean off!” He joked, walking towards the gate that encircled the All Foods plant.  
  
V leaned against a barricade and took a few minutes to let her adrenaline dissipate after the events that had just unfolded. Misty taught her a few deep breathing techniques, so she dedicated some time to regulate her breathing. As it became more structured, her thoughts slowly transformed from their bloodlust haze into clarity. She at last faced the fact that her patience and usual meticulous preparedness had been mostly absent almost all of today. Ever since she received that holo from Dex, she had been high strung and on edge. Normally she’d be absolutely thrilled to hear from the fixer, anxious to see what kind of gig he could hook her up with. Excited to find out any new leads that could give them a leg up in their big heist.  
  
She was starting to have another realization. Sure, she had been angry today. She always harbored some anger towards gangs and Corps, that much was normal. She hadn’t been overcome with anger per se, she was just so very…frustrated. But why? What had set her off like this? Countless shitier jobs had never led to her feeling quite like this. After a few more minutes of introspection, it finally hit her.   
  
_Fuck me, is that it? That can’t be it. V, you absolute gonk._  
  
She gave herself a small smile.  
  
_It started when I woke up this morning. I was so fuckin’ happy, still riding the high of seeing Judy in person last night. But there was something more to yesterday…I…I got a glimpse into what life could be besides shooting up half the city and throwing blood-soaked clothes in the wash every other night. I had real, genuine conversations with a woman-without an ulterior motive or expectation of any kind on either side. I woke up this morning and…I missed her. I didn’t want another second to go by without her knowing that I’m ridiculously into her, that I want to see where we could go-together._  
  
V chuckled as the final realization came to her.  
  
_Dex made sure that thousands of seconds passed before I got the chance, and the rest is history. Heh, I really should talk to Misty about anger management techniques._  
  
V felt relieved and more at ease once she accepted what she had been feeling and more importantly why. She eventually began to get herself cleaned off to some extent before summoning her Archer Hella sedan to drive home. She was just about to leave the gate when Meredith Stout rounded about the Militech SUV that was parked out front.  
  
_Aaaand, just like that I’m pissed again._  
  
Stout lit a cigarette and started talking to V.  
  
“Betcha didn’t expect to see me here?” She smirked  
  
 _The fuck I didn’t but here we are._  
  
“I like the way you operate. Maybe you’d like to do some more work for us?”  
  
V tried to keep her inner dialogue from becoming her actual dialogue and ignored the question.   
  
“I kept my word.” She said flatly, purposely not answering the question.  
  
“That you did, and I kept mine. Until next time V. Corporate gods willing.” She winked briefly at V before heading into the plant, emphasizing her hip sway as she passed V.  
  
_NOW you like me...and maybe even want to fuck me? Bitch thinks she’s a Corpo MILF now. Thanks, but no thanks. You don’t even come close to Judy, you’re not even half the woman she is._  
  
V walked outside the Militech perimeter and waited for her car to come to her from across the street. She thought about giving Judy a brief call on the holo, not even sure what she would even say. She had intended to have an impeccable line set up for asking her out on top of having the perfect date spot chosen. V was longing to see her display on her optics and hear her rough yet soothing voice. She was just about to go through with it when she caught her reflection in the car’s glass.  
  
_Not as bad as earlier, but still covered from head to toe in blood, again. Didn’t I call this earlier? If it’s not too late when I get back and shower, could give her a ring on the holo then..._  
  
V looked at her watch, only slightly grimy after the day’s events. 20:43. She grinned.  
  
_Yeah, I’ve got time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. Lots of canon action in there but we made it folks. I struggled a bit on this one, trying to portray V as a smirky cinnamon roll that just wants to be left alone while thinking of a way to ask Judy out, hopefully I did alright. Comments and kudos always appreciated :)
> 
> Next time: Does V actually have enough time to go through with her plan? Maybe ;)  
> Chapter 7: A Chance Meeting


	7. A Chance Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V returns back to her apartment after a hell of a gig and a day, only to be interrupted once more. This time though, she doesn't mind. 
> 
> (I'm only a little sorry for V's horrible attempt at pickup lines.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're moving past the canon and back to V and Judy shenanigans, enjoy!

V stepped into the apartment’s garage elevator and pressed the button for the eighth floor. A gentleman had exited his car and was making his way to join her in the lift. After one look at V, he decided to wait for the next lift. V felt a little bad, she knew she looked like utter hell. Her face was covered in smear of half wiped off blood and her clothing was plastered with the remains of several Maelstromers. A short ride later and she was at her apartment’s front door. She made sure to remove her boots before walking inside, noting that she didn’t’ need to be tracking a hot mess into her apartment.

_Home sweet home, at last._

She walked into her stash room and set the boots down in the corner, knowing those were going to be a pain in the ass to clean when the time came. She was about to take the machete out of its sheath when she realized that the BD wreath she placed around there earlier was still there and had made it through the whole ordeal. She unhooked it and took a closer look. It needed a little bit of cleaning but overall, it was in great shape. She unstrapped the machete and unholstered her two sidearms, placing them all on the bench. She’d give them a thorough cleaning soon enough. With her iron unstrapped, she was all too eager to peel out of her clothes. She walked over to the laundry hamper, grimacing slightly as she removed her gore covered clothes and quickly stuffing them inside. 

_Wish I had my own laundry unit in here, would make things so much easier._

After dealing with the clothing situation she continued into the bathroom, setting down her blood splattered military glasses before activating the shower. The warm water felt remarkable on V’s skin. She stood there, letting the water run over her, admiring the sheer amount of red that was swirling down the drain. Twenty minutes and a thorough scrubbing and shampooing later, V felt like a new woman. She wrapped herself in a towel and made her way over to the couch, turning on the radio before slumping down. Once comfortable, she decided she needed to work on how she wanted to ask Judy out, and fast.

_Remember how I took milk in my coffee yesterday? I actually despise it. Basically, I don’t ruin my coffee for just for anyone. Know what I’m sayin’?_

_Good Lord V, try again._

_I noticed there’s a few more pieces of ink you didn’t tell me about. There’s also a few more of mine I’d like to show you. Perhaps we could arrange something. I’ll take you out to dinner first though, merc’s honor!_

_Jesus fucking Christ V, that might be a new low._

She facepalmed, trying to convince herself that the day’s events had been responsible for throwing off her game. Seeing as she wasn’t having much success in this area of thinking, she decided to switch gears and think of places they could eat instead.

_She doesn’t seem like the fancy restaurant type, but yet again I may be completely wrong. There is Embers, but that’s swanky as hell and pretty Corpo. North Oak might have some high end places too. You know, can’t go wrong with some street ramen. Hope she wouldn’t mind the casualness of it, plus who doesn’t love ramen?_

She furrowed her brow in concentration, trying next to think of someplace they would both enjoy visiting.

_Hmmm, wonder what she’d even be into. Does she like nature? Is she into movies? Maybe she’s big on nightlife? Location, location, location. Somewhere nifty but not cheesy, someplace not too far away. Hmmm. Could take her out to the Badlands, know a few nice places out there from my travels. But also, don’t want to bust out the big guns too quickly so to speak, and it’s not exactly close. There’s that one rave bar I stumbled upon last night, could save that if she’s into dancing._

V grinned, she knew the perfect spot up in the “mountains” of Westbrook…

Just then, her holo pinged. A Ghost in the Shell avatar was displayed. 

_No fucking way. No, no, no. I mean YES! But noooooooo, couldn’t have waited another half hour!_

V hesitated briefly before activating her holo, bringing Judy into view.

“Hey V! Oops, sorry. Didn’t mean to catch you in the middle of something…important.” She gave a small laugh.

V blushed, realizing her hair was still an unbrushed tangle and that she was clad in only a towel.

“Hey Judy! Nah, you’re not interrupting anything. Just cleaning up after a gig.”

“Cleaning up after a gig, is that what they’re calling it now?” She teased

V rolled her eyes.

“It’s true! I can show you my laundry hamper to prove it!”

Before Judy could object, V walked over to the hamper and gave Judy a peek inside at the blood soaked clothes.

“See! No side output hiding out in this mess.”

Judy laughed at V’s display.

“Alright, alright. I believe you V, ya filthy animal.”

“You have no idea.” V retorted with grin

Judy blushed slightly then proceeded to quickly clear her throat.

“I actually called because I’ve recently come into possession of something I believe might interest you.” Judy explained, borderline mischievous in her voice.

V’s face indicated that she was intrigued.

“I didn’t know we were at the gift giving stage of this acquaintanceship.”

“Ha-ha V. Don’t get it twisted, this isn’t something I’m gonna just give away. Guess we’ll have to discuss the price at my shop.” She toyed.

“Come on Judy, I expected better from you. _Quid pro quo_ is not a sensible business practice for a proper woman such as yourself.”

Judy couldn’t help but laugh at V’s ridiculous quip.

“God you can be insufferable sometimes.”

“Now I’m worried, this is actually me _behaving_. You’re gonna want to punt me out a window if you really get to know me.” V let out a low chuckle. 

“Fine, you got me. I’ll bite and drop by to see what exactly this “something” is. Now I feel bad that I didn’t get you anything.” V lied, remembering the BD wreath.

“Don’t worry about it V, we’ll work something out. I get off at 11, hope to see you when I’m done.”

“Wouldn’t miss it. Later Judy.” V threw up a peace sign and ended the holo.

 _That’s the first thing that’s gone well today, actually, couldn’t have asked for a better setup. Thanks Judy._

V was thrilled the holo had provided an opportunity for them to meet up again, particularly because she didn’t have to try her dad joke tier pickup lines and end up embarrassing herself.

_Really am getting spoiled here, not complaining though._

She checked the time, 22:19.

_Not a lot of time to spare, better get moving._

She walked over to her wardrobe and started pulling out outfit ideas before settling on a limited edition loose fit plaid shirt over a simple white t-shirt, jean shorts, and some sneakers. She walked over to the bathroom, fixed her (mostly dry) hair and touched up her makeup. After putting the finishing touches on her black lipstick, she checked herself in the mirror. Feeling herself, she put on a stupid smirk and threw up some finger guns, clicking her tongue.

“Lookin’ good V.” She said to herself.

She went back to the room that housed her stash and picked the BD wreath off the counter, giving it a delicate but thorough cleaning. Once satisfied with it, she carefully put it in a nearby backpack and headed back out to the garage.

~One ride to Lizzie’s later~

_22:53, not half bad._

V had gone more than the legally allowable amount over the speed limit the entire time, but thankfully NCPD wasn’t too interested in chasing down speedsters such as herself. She parked her Arch at Lizzie’s parking lot then proceeded to head to the entrance. Some of the Mox bouncers whispered to each other as she passed, but she paid them no mind. She quickly made her way down the stairs to the basement where Judy’s shop was located.

 _22:58, guess I can wait two minutes_.

Those two minutes seemed to drag on forever in V’s mind, but once elapsed, she gave a knock on the double doors before heading inside, standing just past the doorway. Judy was wrapping up an edit, removing her BD wreath and editing glove.

_I could watch her work all day._

Judy caught V out of the corner of her eye and tried to hide a small smile.

"You’re punctual, I’ll give you that.” She said, stretching her arms wide over her head while turning her chair to face V. She tilted her head back and rested it on her hands, crossing her right leg over her left thigh.

_Without a doubt, could watch her work all day._

“Merc’s honor.” V replied, holding up her right hand and giving Judy a smile.

“It’s nice to see you again so soon. How was your shift?”

“Oh you know, another glorious day tuning hardcore porn. Was able to slip in some freelance work though, which is why I asked you to meet me here tonight. That about covers me, how was your gig?”

V gave a nervous laugh.

“It was…a gig. Let’s just leave it at that. But everything worked out in the end, adding a cherry on top of the shitstorm sundae that was today.”

V walked over to Judy’s desk, placing her left arm on it and leaning alongside.

“Alright, what’s this about freelance work and summoning me to this exact place at this exact moment?”

Judy dropped her hands to her lap and rested her hands on her knees, still facing V.

“Had an old friend contact me today, needed a virtu tuned time yesterday. Normally it takes me anywhere from four to ten hours to get something in preem condition, had to do this one in three. I made it work.” She was beaming a confident smile at her accomplishment.

“Damn Judy, I’m impressed. Still have no idea what porn tuning entails, but I’m impressed. However, I’m unsure what this has to do with me and ‘the thing I might be interested in’.”

V shot Judy a cocky smile, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Unless the ‘thing’ is said virtu and you wanted to scroll it for me? I mean I guess I’d be down. Gotta say though, that’s a pretty bold move even by my standards- but I am _here_ for it.”

Judy did a half laugh half sigh and she hung her head down in defeat. She could have slapped V’s stupid face, but she groaned instead.

“No no no, it’s not that you ass. Don’t make me regret doing this.” Judy was only half joking.

“Woops, heh, sorry Judy. Got a little ahead of myself there. Please, continue.” V’s cheeks were on fire for the two hundredth time.

“So, this friend of mine happens to be a Kiroshi tech. Obviously eddies aren’t an issue for her since I normally charge a premium for rush jobs. Instead of charging that premium, I happened to have another idea, told her she could pay me another way.”

V gave her a mischievous glare. Judy quickly deciphered what conclusions V was drawing and shut it down.

“Not _that way_ you gonk. She paid me in the ‘something you’d be interested in’.” Judy continued to tease out the answer to V’s questions.

“Just to make sure I’m following correctly-you _didn’t_ sleep with her…and got a suitcase full of eddies instead, which is what you want to give me.” V grinned, getting way too much enjoyment out of messing with Judy.

“V, I swear to fucking god. Don’t make me regret this.” Judy was slightly irritated, but still having fun with their exchange.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

“You ready for me to tell you or do you have another smartass comment to make?” Judy asked, more than a hint of fire in her delivery.

_Damn she’s hot when she’s angry._

“That was the last one, promise. Merc’s honor.” V held up her right hand again.

Judy took a moment before telling V what she had acquired.

“She paid in chrome. Kiroshi Optics MK.3 to be exact.” She grabbed a small box off her desk and handed it to V.

V’s jaw almost hit the floor as she opened it.

_A Kiroshi MK.3? That’s the top-of-the-line optics on the market right now! Three mod slots!_

_“_ I know I can get _a lot_ of eddies selling this to a ripper, you’re lucky Suzie is paying me the way she is or else I wouldn’t have considered this.”

Now V felt bad for giving Judy a hard time earlier, this was actually a really thoughtful gift.

“Judy…wow, I don’t know what to say. Thank you sounds so fucking cheap but thank you so much!”

“Easy there Tiger Claw. I said I wasn’t going to hand this over free of charge, remember?”

“Obviously I remember. I’ve got eddies if you want eddies, but I think we’ve established that’s not what you’re after today. And I’ll kindly remind you that _quid pro quo_ is a bad business practice.”

“What if my price is going out to dinner.”

V froze, then felt like she was about to completely overheat upon hearing Judy’s request. She became uncharacteristically flustered.

“Um, well, If we’re talking dinner, then that doesn’t count. You’d still be operating a respectable business here and I’d have no moral objections. I’d be more than happy to take you out to dinner.”

“Oh good, because I was soooooo worried about respectable business practices.” Judy teased.

“In that case, what are you doing next Friday?”

Judy looked at her monitor and checked her schedule for next week.

“I only have two BDs on deck that day, I’ll be done around 3 probably. Looks like I’m grabbing dinner with your gonk ass afterward.” Judy smirked

“Preem, that settles that.” V smiled, before realizing she was forgetting something.

_Shit, the BD wreath!_

“Oh! Before I forget-need to let you in on something. I actually lied to you earlier on the holo-but not in a bad way!”

Judy gave V a slightly confused look.

“Turns out I _did_ have a gift for you, though not as payment for the ‘something you wanted to give me’. Just really wanted you to have it.”

Now it was Judy’s turn to be curious. V slipped off her backpack, unzipped it, and gently brought out the epic quality Sweet Dreams model-armor laminated BD wreath.

“Found this at the gig today. Thought of you for some reason. Don’t’ worry, made sure to clean and disinfect it before bringing it over.” She smiled, handing it over.

Judy reached out and took the wreath from V, examining it closely with wide eyes before placing it on her head and taking it for a test run.

“Shit V, you really outdid yourself!”

She went on to put it through a few quick protocols.

“This model can support multiple mods in conjunction with soft and hardware, this is gonna make my job a lot easier. Armor plating on the side too, feels like a fucking cloud on top of it all. Now I really have an incentive to work more recreational BDs.”

She took off the wreath and stood up, moving closer to V and embracing her in a slightly more than friendly hug.

“Thank you.” She whispered in V’s ear before stepping away.

V was glad she had synth joints to hold her up or else she would have collapsed right then and there. Judy’s actions had sent an immediate jolt between her thighs and a warmth spread throughout the rest of her body. 

“I was supposed to be the one gifting you something, not the other way around. Thanks for ruining my night.” Judy jested as she stepped back to her chair and sat down.

“What can I say, I’m an equal opportunity partner.” V replied, throwing a smirk Judy’s way.

“How does 18:00 sound for dinner next Saturday?”

“Sounds like I’ll see you then.”

“Nova. Don’t forget to bring a jacket, we’ll take my Arch. Am I gonna pick you up from here or…?”

Judy was the one blushing this time, taking a few moments to answer.

“Nope, you’re gonna pick me up from my place. I’ll send you the coordinates later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are things actually happening? Yes, yes they are, and it's been a blast writing it. Next chapter is gonna be thicc. 
> 
> Next time: V and Judy have the longest week ever waiting for Friday to roll around. Did they ever establish if this was a date or not? Guess they'll find out. 
> 
> Ch. 8: Noodles and North Oak


	8. Noodles and North Oak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's talk about feelings ba-by, let's talk about you and me.  
> V and Judy grab dinner and do a bit of 'sight-seeing' afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It happened, I upped the rating to E for...things.

It took V all of Sunday to properly clean all of her gear from yesterday’s gig. She was thankful the meticulous work had kept her hands busy and mind focused. The next four days however, would be more of a challenge. Dex had texted her on Monday, informing her that the big heist would be all set for sometime next week, exact day TBD. She simultaneously prepared for the heist and kept herself busy by taking every gig she could land and knocking off gang members left and right, raking in the eddies and street cred in return. Every now and then she would shoot Judy a text to let her know she was absolutely not thinking of her. Even Judy couldn’t keep her hands entirely off her phone.

Monday:

V: [Just finished a gig helping some of your Mox buddies. You all are a scrappy bunch.]

J: [You have to check ‘scrappy’ on the Mox application, didn’t you know?]

V: [Lots of baseball bats, just sayin’.]

J: [We have a gang wide baseball league, everyone has a bat.]

V: [Wait, for real?]

J: [Can’t believe you fell for that :p ]

Tuesday:

J: [Remember how I told you the other day that I needed one more piece of hardware for this new wreath? One of the Mox just rolled in and ‘conveniently’ handed it to me, said she acquired it from a ‘friend’ on a job last night. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?]

V: [I believe the answer you’re looking for is no.]

V: [I know nothing.]

V: [Complete coincidence.]

Wednesday:

V got bold enough to send Judy her first selfie.

V: [Just got the new chrome installed, Thanks again!] It was followed by V sporting a wide smile and giving a thumbs up. Her ripperdoc Viktor Vector was next to her, not looking amused at being roped into the picture.

J: [They look nice, someone with excellent taste must have picked them out for you ;) ]

V: [They have exquisite taste ;) ]

Thursday:

J: [I’m not excited for tomorrow, you are.]

V: [Suuuuuuuuure. Whatever helps you sleep at night Judy.]

J: [Watson-Charter St. blue building on the west side. I’ll be outside, don’t be late.]

V: [Wouldn’t dream of it, merc’s honor ;) ]

After what seemed like an eternity, Friday was finally arrived. V was feeling anxious, but excited for tonight. She wasn’t used to being the one with butterflies in her stomach, but she didn’t mind the feeling. She had started attempting to get ready three hours before she actually had to pick up Judy. Her hair thankfully wouldn’t take that long, only having three quarters of it and wearing it more or less in the same right side swept look made it easy. She knew most of her time would be consumed trying to pick out something to wear, something casual enough for riding but not too casual to make it seem like this didn’t mean anything to her. She settled on an elegant buttonup long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up, leather riding jacket, her nicest slim fit jeans, and stylish riding boots.

_Wait. Is this a date? Did we confirm that this was a legitimate date and not just a friendly hangout?_

V’s heart sank when she realized she forgot to clarify that small little detail when she last saw Judy. She blamed Judy’s whisper in her ear for making her mind think of everything but properly laying out the exact context of their next meeting.

_Just gotta put on my big merc pants and ask her outright later on, no biggie._

V glanced at her watch, 17:20.

_Guess I can take another five minutes to clean my glasses for the third time today, then I’ll take the stairs down to the garage. Should get to her place just in time._

V’s assessment was on point. She saw Judy standing on the sidewalk in front her apartment building and pulled up in front at her at exactly 17:59. Judy couldn’t hide her smile from V upon seeing her. V kept her helmet on but removed her aviators so Judy could see her eyes.

“Ready for some of the best damn ramen you’ve ever had in Night City?”

“Ramen? I see you’re not holding back tonight.” Judy jested through a slight laugh, retrieving the spare helmet from the bike’s stash.

“Hey now, ramen feeds your _soul_. And this place doesn’t serve any synth component in theirs. Shocking, I know. Plus, street food is the best food…unless you wanted to go to some place nicer, like Embers?”

Judy scoffed.

“Hell no, fancy Corpo places like that make me wanna puke. Don’t worry, I’m more than down for some street food. Where at?”

V put her aviators back on and revved the Arch.

“You’ll see, shop near the bridge on the west side of Japantown. Just grab on and enjoy the ride.”

V was savoring every minute of the ride over to the ramen shop. Judy was holding her tighter and closer than last time, resting her head on V’s left shoulder. She was trying to ignore the feeling of Judy’s chest against her back coupled with the vibration of the bike between her thighs. The fifteen minute ride was both too long and too short in that respect. Once there, V parked the bike and they walked inside, grabbing the booth in the far left corner. They opened up their menus and started browsing.

“What do you recommend?” Judy asked

“Well, they only serve one type of ramen here so, the ramen.”

Judy glared at the wise ass remark while V chuckled slightly.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist.” V only slightly apologized.

“Alright smartass, anything else?”

“They do have a killer vegetable spring roll here, if you’re into that sort of thing.”

“Hmmm.” Judy pondered.

A few minutes passed and a waiter came by to take their order. To no one’s surprise, they both ordered the ramen, plus a pot of tea to share. The waiter promptly returned and placed the teapot in the middle of their table. Judy took the glasses and poured them both a cup, sliding one over to V.

“To ramen!” V toasted.

Judy gave a small chuckle.

“Sure, to ramen!”

They clinked their teacups gently.

“So I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now Judy, how does one get into your line of work exactly?” V asked with a slight smirk.

“Remember the incident with the firetruck?” Judy asked.

“Wait, fixing up firetrucks prepares one for a gig in the smut editing industry? I mean, I guess that kinda makes sense? They do have one thing in common…big hoses.” V grinned at her own stupid joke. She was the only one.

Judy shook her head and sighed heavily before proceeding to slowly sip her tea as V continued to be amused at herself .

“You about done there gonk?” Judy asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest and throwing V a small smirk.

V quickly composed herself.

“Ahem, yes. Please, continue Judy.”

_“You’re lucky you’re cute.”_ Judy mumbled under her breath

“What was that?” V asked.

“Nothing, I was just clearing my throat.” She lied.

“Fixing up the firetruck was my first real test in technical skill application, figured if I could do that then my possibilities were pretty much endless. Could probably secure a job anywhere as long as I continued to hone my skills. Landed my first industry job at Clouds seven years ago. It’s a dollhouse, one of the largest in the city.”

V started to raise her eyebrows at Judy.

“Calm your tits V, wasn’t workin’ as a doll.” Judy said, then took a quick sip of tea.

“I needed to get my foot in the door and start making a name for myself and really hone my art, and the smut industry’s where the eddies are in this city. Hated how the workers were treated at Clouds, so I left and started working at Lizzie’s. Suzie allowed me to set up shop in the basement and work for them while also giving me some time to work on my art here and there. Ended up joining in with the Moxes, thought maybe they could help improve people’s lives around here, knowing their history and all. I just can’t stand all the injustice in this city, and if me tuning BDs helps the Mox which in turn helps get rid of a small amount of bullshit each day, then I’ll tune as much smut as I need to. Guess I just want to prove that the little people can be just as powerful as the mega Corps when they work together, help achieve a force for good.”

She paused and took another sip of her tea.

“Don’t know how much longer I can do it though, if I’m honest. I enjoy what I do, but this city just chews you up and spits you out in due time. You either live long enough to become an asshole or get killed by one. I just want to feel like I made a difference before I leave, whenever that may be. Y’know?” 

V gave Judy a kind smile.

“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Gotta say, I hold you in much higher esteem now that you’ve shared this with me-not sayin’ I didn’t think well of you before, but you’ve definitely gone up a quite a few notches. I can appreciate someone putting their own self into helping improve this city and its people.”

“Thanks V.” Judy smiled back. “Now that you know how I got into the BD biz, it’s my turn.”

She went ahead and refilled both of their teacups.

“Why’d you choose the rebel path, being a merc and all? Not judging, just curious.”

“It all started when I was born.” V replied sarcastically. Judy raised her eyebrows in a “Really?” expression.

“Kidding, sorry.” V took a deep breath.

“Didn’t start bein’ a merc until I was 17, been a nomad all of my life up until then. My clan was based in the Free State of Allied Southern California on the outskirts of Los Angeles. I was more of a techie back then, spent more time tinkered with cars and computers than dropping gonks, which I still had to do on occasion.”

_Do I go ahead and give her the whole story? What if I scare her off? At the same time, I feel like this isn’t just something I can keep vague, not for her. Please don’t think any less of me for this, Judy._

V looked down at her cup, picking it up and talking a long, slow sip. Her hands shook ever so slightly as she lowered the cup back to the table.

“When I was 17, a Biotechnica affiliate decided they didn’t like the fact that my clan was offering the residents of LA cheaper tech, they were starting to lose serious eddies. Rather than try and strike a deal with us, they decided to wipe us out. Exterminate is actually the better term. They attacked at night, took us all by surprise. We hadn’t had any real scraps in months, so we weren’t prepared to mount any sort of effective defense. I only survived because I had been out delivering some chrome to a customer at a meetup point a few miles away. By the time I got back, bastards had torched everything-there was nothing left.”

She picked up her teacup again and downed the rest of the contents.

“Seeing as there was nothing left for me in LA, decided to pack what little gear I had that night and get as far away as I could, ended up driving north and landed in NC. It was rough those first few months, had a hard time landing steady tech work once people found out I was a nomad, even took a bullet graze to the thigh just walking home one night. I needed some fast eddies so one night I entered a shooting competition in Watson, ended up winning and impressing some people. Got pulled aside and introduced to a fixer, accepted my first gun for hire job then and there against some Biotechnica Corpo rat. The next day, I snuck into his penthouse and shot him between the eyes while he was jackin’ it to a BD. Turns out I was good at merc work, really good. And the scary part is, I _liked_ it.”

V looked up at Judy, her hazel eyes carrying a mixture of sadness and hurt.

“ _That_ was when I decided to become a fulltime merc. I never wanted to feel helpless again like I did after I found my clan obliterated. I didn’t want to worry about making ends meet, just because of where I’m from. I decided I wanted to become a force to be reckoned with on these streets, to take out some Corpo shitheads and gang filth along the way, then get the fuck out of this messed up city. This job takes a toll on you, not just on your body but your soul as well. I know I can’t keep this pace forever, I’m looking forward to finding out what the fuck a normal life is.”

_And I’m hoping you’ll help me find out._

They both sat there in silence for a few moments before V spoke up again.

“Wow, I am _so_ sorry I just word vomited all that baggage upon you. You asked how I became a merc and I ended up giving you my entire sad life story. That’s what happens when I start running my big mouth.” V tried to joke, fearing Judy was about to distance herself from her.

Judy reached across the table and grasped V’s left hand firmly, but with affection. Her eyes locked with V’s, expressing concern and tenderness.

“V…I…Christ. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. Shit, I didn’t know that would end up being such a deep personal question for you, I should’ve known better.”

V squeezed Judy’s hand back lightly, running her thumb over the other woman’s. 

“Don’t beat yourself up over this Judy, please. You had no way of knowing. And like I said, I’m the one that decided to give you my life story instead of just answering your question.”

Judy withdrew her hand and and crossed her arms across her chest again.

“You’d been holding that in for a while. Anything else you need to get off your chest? I’ve been told I’m a great listener.” Judy asked, a gentle smile on her face.

“You certainly are Judy, thank you.” V replied, returning her smile.

Just then, the waiter returned with their ramen, setting down the large bowls in front of them.

“Don’t know about you, but all this feelings talk has got me absolutely _famished_.” V joked

“Same, I’m probably gonna finish this entire bowl!” Judy replied

They ate in silence for a few moments, too busy slurping away at their noodles.

“So, what’s the verdict? Best ramen you’ve ever had in NC I hope.”

Judy was in the middle of shoving noodles into her face.

“Mmmmm, _que rico_.” She was able to squeeze out through the mouthful of noodles.

V laughed and picked up a napkin, wiping some of the broth off Judy’s chin.

“Glad I chose well, else this would’ve been pretty awkward.”

They shared a laugh.

“Just a moment ago you asked me if there’s anything else I wanted to get off my chest. There is one thing I wanted to share with you.”

“Alright, I’m all ears.” Judy looked up from her ramen and set aside her chopsticks.

“I was gonna spend all of last Saturday thinking of the _smoothest_ fucking line to ask you out on a date with and suggest some nova place in the city that we could go hang out at. But I got a call from my fixer and the whole day just went to shit from there.”

V continued to go into detail about the gig, starting with Dex’s call and ending with Meredith Stout’s ambiguous goodbye.

Judy picked up her chopsticks once more.

“Wait, so you’re telling me you went all _cyberpsycho_ on Maelstrom…because you got a holo from your boss telling you to go do your job?” Judy asked, more than slightly amused.

V gave a nervous chuckle.

“He was keeping me from doing what I had planned that day, something I was genuinely looking forward to!”

“You realize how that sounds out loud, don’t you V?”

“I guess so. Maybe I did overreact just a _little_ bit.” She replied, slightly embarrassed hearing the narration of her behavior out loud.

They sat there for a long while finishing their ramen, deciding to chat each other up some more until they were the last ones in the restaurant.

“Ready to get out of her? I know a place where we can relax for a bit, if you’re interested.”

“Of course I’m interested you gonk, let’s go.”

They gathered their things, paid the bill, then headed back to the Arch.

~During the drive from Japantown~

“I see we’re heading into Westbrook, what’s out here?” Judy asked as they wound their way through the district, moving east towards the more mountainous terrain.

“Aside from various rich assholes and showbiz folks, one of the best views you can get in NC.”

Judy paused momentarily.

“You’re not taking me to where I think you are, are you?” She asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

V smirked under her helmet.

“Depends on where you think I’m taking you. Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

They continued up a switchback then eventually made it to the roundabout that sat at the top of the hill. V pulled the Arch into a small parking lot off to the side. They dismounted the bike and stared up at the giant ‘North Oak’ sign that lay before them.

“Was this what you were thinking?” V asked playfully.

“I was, actually. Not too many places for us normal folks to visit in North Oak. I’m not complaining though, it’s a pretty nice view up here.”

Judy turned around took a few steps to face the city. V walked over to her and gently grabbed her hand.

“The view’s much better from up there.” She inclined her head to the sign. “Trust me.” She said, flashing her confident merc smile.

“Wait, you can actually _climb_ that thing?”

“Hell yeah you can, if you know the way.” V grinned. “Which I do.”

They made their way up the hill and through the low brush, heading towards the pillar that supported the ‘k’ in North Oak. Sure enough, there was a ladder there. It was situated a few feet off the ground, well out of reach for either of their hands.

“Stand back, I got this.” V low key bragged.

V activated her reinforced tendons, enabling her to jump several feet in the air and latch onto the ladder.

“No one likes a showoff.” Judy jested.

V kicked down the ladder, enabling Judy to climb up. She led the way across the supports until they reached another ladder that took them down to the ‘O’ region of the sign. They shuffled their way into the middle of the letter and let their feet dangle over the edge.

“See? Much better.”

“Gotta admit V, it ain’t half bad.”

“I like it out here, it’s just far enough outside of the city. I feel like I can hear my thoughts a bit better.”

“If you want to hear your thoughts better, try going underwater.”

V paused briefly.

“Huh, come to think of it I’ve never tried that. Maybe you could show me how to sometime.” V half joked.

A smile spread across Judy’s lips.

“We’ll see V.”

They continued to sit atop the North Oak sign enjoying the sights and far off sounds of the city. V gathered up the courage to slowly inch her right hand towards Judy’s, playfully toying with the other woman’s pinky, waiting for an invitation to join their hands together. Judy placed her hand on top of V’s, breaking her view from the city to look at V with that playful smile she seemed to wear more and more around her.

“I wanted to apologize, for earlier.” V admitted. “Kinda ruined our dinner date.”

Judy acted surprised.

“Wait, this is a date?”

V’s face went red and she immediately went into damage control mode, quickly placing both of her hands in her lap.

“Only if you want it to be! I just kinda assumed, and you know what they say about assuming.”

Judy let out a small chuckle.

“V, relax! I was fucking with you.” She reached out and grabbed V’s hand again. “I’ll consider this a date if you do.”

V couldn’t contain the huge goofy smile that exploded across her face once more.

“In that case, consider this our first official date.”

They continued to hold each other’s hand for some time, all while gazing over the city. More and more lights began to illuminate as night crept in.

“In case you were wondering, yes, I do kiss on a first date.” V tried to state nonchalantly.

Judy turned and raised an eyebrow at her.

“Oh really? Just so happens that I usually don’t.” She teased before changing her pitch to slightly more than a whisper. “But I can be persuaded.”

V’s goofy smile instantly turned into a cool and confident smirk. That and hearing Judy’s voice in that register had her quickly adjust how she was sitting. She slid closer to Judy so that their faces were barely inches apart.

“Would you mind if I tried to persuade you now?” She responded, voice low.

Judy locked her eyes with V’s, a certain hunger making its presence known.

“You’re welcome to try your best.”

V didn’t hesitate. She reached out with her left hand and cupped the right side of Judy’s face, tracing her cheek with her thumb before drawing her in for a sensual kiss. It was slow and controlled, but still raw and emotional-just the tip of both of their shared desire that had built these past two weeks. Both knew that it could easily escalate if they allowed it-a well placed tongue here, a small bite there. V grabbed the back of Judy’s head and drew her closer for a more intense kiss before slowly pulling away, feeling a familiar heat fast developing in her core.

“How’s that for persuasion?” V asked huskily. She knew full well that Judy enjoyed it as much as she did.

“Consider me persuaded.” She responded, lowering her voice to a whisper once more “And I wouldn’t say no to some more persuasion.”

That got V’s ego fired up, her clit began to ache slightly.

“Not gonna lie, I’ve been waiting to do that ever since I first saw you standing at the bar at Lizzie’s.” She admitted.

“Oh my, I must’ve left quite the impression just standing at the bar looking like this.” Judy teased, pointing to her black overalls and short white tank. 

“Yeeeeah, you can say that. Still not sure yet if it was your smile, your tattoos, or even your body that just short circuited me.” V decided to continue her bold streak. “I might have had to take a hot shower when I got back to my place that night.”

“My my V, did someone get a little flustered on the job?” Judy continued to tease, her playful smirk becoming more mischievous as their conversation continued.

“To put it simply, yes. No thanks to you well, being you and getting all up in my business during Evelyn’s BD session.”

Judy was enjoying V’s openness about their first encounter way too much.

“To be fair, seeing your gonk face first thing after snapping out of a BD took me by surprise, and a nice surprise at that. Wasn’t expecting to see the hottie from the bar in my shop. You looked fine as hell that night. Had a hard time getting back to work after you and Evelyn left, decided to call it a night and just go home.”

Now it was V’s turn to enjoy Judy’s revelations. She scooted further back along the width of the sign, lying down and propping herself up on her right elbow. She encouraged Judy to continue.

“Mhmmm. And what did you do once you got home? If you’re willing to share with the class that is.” 

“I called Evelyn and told her to give you my deets, but to make it seem like she was doing you a favor.” Judy smirked further.

V was shocked, Evelyn had tricked her on Judy’s request! Damn she was good at what she did. V reminded herself to congratulate Evelyn on her deception abilities.

“Touché Evelyn.” V chuckled. “I wanted to kill her at first when she called.” She decided to go all in. “Was in the middle of really um…enjoying that shower before she called.” She started to blush.

Judy decided to join V by laying down next to her, propping herself on her left arm. Her eyes met V’s, more than a hint of lust shining through.

“And what were you enjoying so much about it? To quote you, ‘only if you’re willing to share with the rest of the class’.” Her wicked smile only intensifying.

“To quote _you_ , I can be persuaded.” V shot Judy a wicked grin, tracing her fingers over the exposed skin on her right hip.

Their lips came together, hungrier and more forceful than the first time. The restraint of first time courtesies from earlier were nowhere to be found, they knew now that their feelings were mutual. Everything soon became a blur between them. Their hands roamed all along each other’s bodies, groping and leaving light nail marks as they wandered. Judy grabbed V by her beltloop, urging her to press her body into hers. V happily obliged. Their tongues gently probed and danced along the other’s before darting in and out with reckless abandon. Teeth tugged on lips and nipped any piece of exposed flesh. V rolled Judy on her back and straddled her, placing kisses down her neck and along her collarbone. The heat in her core was impossible to ignore along with her aching clit, she could feel the wetness pooling between her legs.

“I can show you what I was enjoying so much.” V rasped in her ear.

Judy bit her lip as a small moan escaped her. She nodded her head in agreement.

“Look at me Judy. I need to know that you’re okay with me doing this, with us doing this.” V asked seriously, looking Judy directly in the eyes.

Judy looked at V with half lidded eyes and a wicked smile. She grabbed the back of V’s head and brought her in for a brutal kiss. V couldn’t help but moan into it, Judy was driving her absolutely crazy. She brought her lips to V’s ear, gently tugging on her earlobe.

“Yes. Now show me.” She whispered, breathing already becoming ragged.

With Judy’s consent, a switch seemed to flip in V. She grabbed both of Judy’s wrists and pinned them above her head before leaning down to press her lips against the other woman’s all over again. Judy tried to break free of V’s grip, but quickly realized it was a futile attempt. V continued to ravage Judy’s mouth before teasing her way to the roses that adorned her neck.

“I was thinking about how your mouth would feel pressed against mine, how your skin would feel against my lips.” She traced the ‘13’ on the right side of her neck with her tongue, hot breath adding to the sensation.

“Fuck, V.” Judy moaned.

She released her grip on Judy’s wrist and sat up, shifting her weight directly over Judy’s hips, applying a sweet amount of pressure. She traced a finger alongside her collarbone before moving it down to Judy’s chest, toying with the top of her left breast.

“I placed light touches all over myself, imagining your fingers doing the work.”

V slowly brought down the top left part of Judy’s shirt, exposing the top of the red spiderweb tattoo and the nipple that was at the center of it. She took the flesh into her fingers and squeezed gently.

“Just like this.” She punctuated with a light twist before leaning down to take the puckered flesh into her mouth, swirling her tongue around in a languid motion.

Judy gasped at the intense pleasure and attempted to raise her hips to meet V’s. V began to slowly grind her hips into Judy’s, her clit throbbing at the new sensation.

“Mhmmm. What did you do next?” Judy asked, chest rising and falling with the increased effort.

V stopped her movement and rolled off to Judy’s left side. She hooked her left thumb around the lower part of Judy’s overalls and placed the rest of her hand outside the material directly over her mound, indicating her next move.

“I decided that I was going to tease myself, here.” She cupped Judy through her overalls, relishing the heat she felt there. Feeling that Judy was as turned on as she was continued to add to V’s wetness.

Judy grabbed V by the front of her shirt and pulled her in for a punishing kiss, letting V know just how she felt about where this was heading.

“Just don’t tease too long.” She grinned after pulling away, lips already slightly red and swollen.

V returned the kiss in earnest, slowly snaking her hand down between the front of Judy’s overalls, relishing the feeling of the smooth skin that she met.

“Only because you asked nicely.”

She slipped her hand lower and was instantly greeted with slick heat. V groaned into the crook of Judy’s neck.

“Fuck Judy, you feel incredible.” She murmured, savoring the feeling of the other woman’s arousal.

She slid a finger through her folds, gently stroking the soft flesh and making Judy writhe. She found her clit and started to slowly circle the sensitive bud. V knew she hit just the right spot when Judy threw her head back and let out a throaty moan. Hearing and seeing Judy like this drove V absolutely mad, she could tell her panties were completely drenched. She started to circle Judy’s clit faster and with a bit more force, making her writhe harder.

“Inside.” Judy managed to demand.

V slid a finger through her folds one more time before moving to tease her entrance. As her finger slid inside, Judy let out the sexiest moan V had ever heard, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to her already throbbing clit. She began to move her finger inside Judy, letting her get used to the feeling. Her hand was absolutely dripping, spurring on V’s lust. She brought her mouth next to Judy’s ear.

“You have no idea how sexy you are right now, the things you’re doing to me.” V rasped.

“Then why don’t you tell me?” Judy asked huskily.

V moaned into the crook of Judy’s neck, continuing her steady pace inside the other woman.

“Seeing you like this, the sounds you’re making, how you fucking _feel_. I’m an absolute mess right now.” V explained through ragged breath.

“Can’t wait to see and..,mmm…feel for myself.”

V added a second finger and Judy had to bite her lip to not cry out.

“Fuck that feels good.” Judy moaned.

V was caught up in Judy’s display as well as her own carnal feelings. She continued to kiss Judy forcibly but passionately, both of them struggling to break for air. She felt Judy clenching harder around her fingers, bucking into her hand as she continued to fuck her. She increased her rhythm, seeing Judy squeezing her eyes tight and bite her lower lip to stifle herself. She had become moaning and writhing mess under V’s touch. V adjusted her fingers so that they curled to hit the more sensitive area on her front wall, the one she loved to touch herself. Judy responded immediately, nearly crying out.

“Oh _fuck_!”

V heard Judy cry out and continued her pace with added pressure. After a few more thrusts, she felt Judy contract around her fingers, savoring the new flood of wetness that accompanied her intense orgasm. V slowed down her pace and continued to kiss Judy through her aftershocks before slowly withdrawing her fingers altogether. Judy’s face was flushed and her breathing ragged, but she was wearing the biggest grin V had ever seen. She took a few minutes to gather herself.

“Now I understand why you were enjoying yourself.” She managed to joke. “That was fucking wonderful.”

She rolled over to give V a brief kiss before quickly moving to straddle her hips. She grabbed V by the front of her shirt and pulled her upright so she could give her a more intense kiss.

“What was that thing you said last weekend about being equal?” She paused briefly before remembering V’s comment. “Ah yes, ‘I’m equal opportunity partner.’”

Judy adjusted her body so that her right hand could comfortably rest on the fly of V’s pants. She gave a wicked smile when she felt the heat of V’s desire through the material.

“You certainly weren’t lying about how I was making you feel.” She teased, slowly tracing a finger farther down the middle seam.

V groaned in both pleasure and frustration.

“Judy, please. I- “

She inhaled sharply when Judy didn’t even bother to deal with the top button and zipper of her pants, swifly sliding her hand down and discovering the absolute mess she had caused. Her fingers immediately went to work alternating between tracing the other woman’s outer folds and grazing over her clit. V arched her back and moaned at Judy’s touch, urging her to continue.

“Please…what?” Judy teased

V bit her lip and tried to get her ragged breathing under control. Judy hadn’t eased up on her movements and had begun to tease V’s entrance as well. She groaned at the gentle probing, hoping Judy would take the hint and give her that sweet touch she was craving. She placed her hand behind Judy’s head and drew her in for a hungry kiss before pulling away.

“Please, make me cum.” She whispered in Judy’s ear, voice hoarse from their activities.

Judy kissed her again, moaning into her mouth and biting her lower lip as she slowly pulled away. She gently guided two fingers into V, the sheer amount of wetness easing any resistance. V groaned her appreciation upon feeling the sensation she had been needing, rising more into Judy’s touch. Judy knew that V was craving release, and fast. Still, she couldn’t help but marvel at the sight below her, a dangerous merc reduced to a wet and throbbing mess-all due to her actions. She set a near brutal pace as she focused on fucking V with intensity . V’s moans were full of pleasure, encouraging Judy to use her thumb to circle her clit and drive her to the breaking point. V’s eyes were screwed shut and her fists were clenched, Judy was drinking in the sight of having her like this, knowing she wasn’t going to be able to hang on much longer. V brought Judy in for another punishing kiss before moaning into her mouth as she came hard, completely drenching Judy’s fingers once more. She kept her fingers inside, savoring the feeling of the other woman pulsing around her and enjoying the slick heat surrounding her fingers. Judy placed a soft kiss on V’s forehead as she waited for the other woman to regain her bearings.

“You’re amazing V.” She smiled, the lust filled haze slowly lifting from her eyes.

V looked back at her, a satisfied grin on her lips. She motioned for Judy to sit up and they made their way back to the edge of the sign once more. She put an arm around her waist and Judy rested her head on V’s shoulder.

“You certainly made this a night to remember. Thank you for trusting me, Judy.”

“Thank yourself. I’m not usually the type to do this kind of thing, but you’ve shown me that you’re worth taking a chance on. That and you’re fine as hell.” She smirked.

V let out a small chuckle.

“Still, thank you. Think you’d be interested in a second date?”

Judy moved her head from V’s shoulder to look at her.

“If it’s even _half_ as good as this one was then count me in. I’d be down for some more street food, maybe even do some more _sight-seeing._ ” She winked. 

“Nova, I’ll keep that in mind.” V smiled, feeling like she finally had something to look forward to now aside from simply staying alive in NC. She leaned into Judy and gave her a languid kiss, this time filled with adoration and happiness.

They stayed up on the sign enjoying each other’s company for a little while longer before making their way back down to the bike, taking the long way back to Judy’s apartment. They both dismounted and Judy placed the spare helmet back in the stash.

“I guess I’ll see you when I see you. Thanks for everything tonight V, I had a wonderful time.” She said, eyes positively beaming.

“Thanks for giving me a chance. I’ll let you know when things cool off on my end, then we can see about scheduling that second date. Take care Judy.”

They embraced and kissed their goodbyes, neither one wanting to pull away first. V fired up the Arch again and drove back to her apartment, haphazardly disrobing before falling into bed with a smile on her face.

_02:03_

\---The next morning---

_11:22_

V woke up much later than usual the next morning, noticing the sun was much brighter in her apartment than when she usually roused from bed. She checked her phone and didn’t register the time, only the missed text message.

Dexter DeShawn: [Tuesday, 10AM. It’s showtime Ms. V].

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be my new favorite chapter, hope you all got to enjoy these lovely lesbians on their date night. As you can see, we're heading back to the main story next time, probably gonna be a few days before that chapter gets posted. Also, this was my first time writing sexy times. I'm much better actually doing than writing, but I hope it worked out well in this chapter. As always, thanks for reading!


	9. The Heist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big day is finally here, will V and Jackie be able to pull off the heist of a lifetime?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part of the story will be split into two chapters. Part one is mostly canon, those of you who have played the game can probably figure out where I'm gonna end it :p

V’s heart sank slightly after reading Dex’s text. She knew this day was coming, she just wished she could have put it off a little while longer. She knew that she was making a mistake letting herself get comfortable enjoying time outside of work with Judy. Opening up to her and being in her presence gave her that glimpse into a life outside mercenary work, and she couldn’t shake it-wouldn’t. V knew that leaving Night City was her endgame, it just hurt when she was reminded that she still had to grind to make that happen. This usually meant no distractions, especially lasting relationships. Judy challenged all of that thinking, she had made V feel truly valued and it was refreshing to meet someone who shared a lot of her ambitions. However, duty called. She wanted to call Judy then and there but was scared of ruining her morning talking about work, especially after the night they just shared. She blushed slightly remembering their encounter, then reminded herself that she was way overdue for a shower. Once she was clean and dressed, she texted Evelyn.

V: [Morning! Just wanted to thank you for being such an excellent liar :p Judy explained everything last night.]

E: [Told you, I’m good at my job.]  
E: [You guys fucked, didn’t you?]

V: [I don’t have to answer that.]

V chuckled to herself as she put the phone away, enjoying a few moments to herself before returning her thoughts back to the upcoming heist. 

_This could finally be it. If Jackie and I are able to pull this off, I’ll be one step closer to hanging up my iron and leaving this city for good. What a thought!_

V spent the afternoon tidying the apartment and reviewing the preparation intel for the gig. She still had two days before the big day but was feeling more nervous than usual. This time around would be much different. She wasn’t about to walk into a Maelstrom borgden and blow them all away, this was the Arasaka Corporation-Konpeki Plaza. She and Jackie needed to execute their part flawlessly, there was absolutely no room for error. As if reading her thoughts, Dexter DeShawn sent her another text message. 

D: [Afterlife, 1600.]  
V: [I’ll be there.]

_The Afterlife? The club with the hottest contracts in town? Guess this is what being in the major leagues is like._

\---Some time later---

V rolled up to the Afterlife, spotting Jackie already outside waiting for her. He was just ending a holo, V could tell he had been talking to Señora Welles. 

“’Bout time _chica_!” He exclaimed, but V could tell he wasn’t entirely at ease. 

“You look tense Jackie, exhausted even.” V remarked.

“That obvious eh? Been all antsy since Dex sent me the deets this morning. Mama Welles isn’t too pleased either, worried I’m gonna end up rotting in a dumpster like most of the Welles boys.” He paused and worked out a stretch. “But, that’s done after Tuesday. Afterlife, here we come baby! Yeah!” He proceeded to do a small dance. 

V looked at the club’s shabby exterior. 

“Y’know now that I’m here, this place just looks like another dive, not the merc palace that it’s touted out to be.” V observed. 

“It’s what’s inside that counts, choom.” He began walking down the steps to the club’s main entrance. “Ready to get your cherry popped? Yeeeeah! Come on!” He exclaimed. 

They made their way down the grungy steps, turning right through the sliding door and walking down the hall to the bouncer blocking the main entrance. He promptly stopped them at the door. 

“An’ who might you clowns be?” He asked, clearly not familiar with their faces. 

“We’re friends of Dexter DeShawn. He’s expecting us.” V stated, her cool and collected merc swagger on full display. 

The bouncer made a quick call to Dex, verifying V’s claim. 

“Says he needs a second or two. Go get yourselves drinks or something.” He let them pass. 

Jackie continued to fangirl inside the club until they found two open spots at the bar and took a seat. They ordered a pair of Johnny Silverhands-Tequila Old Fashioned with a splash of cerveza and a chili garnish. With drinks in hand, they decided to make a toast. 

“To getting filthy rich and the heist of a lifetime!” V toasted.

“Heheh, I’ll drink to that!” Jackie replied.

They sat at the bar for a while finishing their drinks before a man walked over to them and informed them that Dex was ready for them. He escorted them deeper into the club to a hidden room in the back, specially fortified for meetings such as this. They walked into the room and took a seat, Dex and T-Bug were already there waiting for them.

“Well. If it ain’t Miss V.” Dex remarked, his cigar smoking up the room. 

“Whole family in one place! Hah! Finally!” Jackie observed. 

“First time in realspace.” T-Bug replied

_Finally seeing T-Bug in person, this was worth the trip in of itself._

Jackie proceeded to bring out the Flathead and they began discussing the more sensitive material surrounding the heist. Dex shared a shard with them that outlined their main route, including full schematics of Konpeki Plaza.

“Me and Dex’ve already covered the fine detes. Ops wise, should be a stroll on the beach.” T-Bug revealed. 

“A Delamain’ll drop your asses at the front door of Konpeki Plaza. You’ll stroll right in thanks to your false identities. Then, with Bug’s help, you’ll breach the hotel’s subnet.” Dex began to explain. 

“Mine and the Flathead’s help.” T-Bug added. 

“Last but not least, you slip into Yorinobu’s penthouse and klep the Relic.” Dex continued.

“Goes without sayin’ we do this on the hush-ideally no bodies, not one.” T-Bug added. 

“You’ll have T-Bug on comms for the duration. Now, time for your burning questions.” 

V tried to think of something, but the reality of the situation sank in considerable over the course of the meeting and her mind remained blank. She realized she didn’t want to know more, the more she knew, the more she would doubt the plan. 

“Got no more questions.” V replied.

“Perfect. One more thing. Konpeki’s got a strict no iron policy. You guys will leave your lead-spitters in the ride, take the Flathead inside in its case.” 

_No iron, fuck, don’t like that detail._

“Got some deft suits, so you’ll look the part too.” T-Bug pointed out. V noticed a Militech suit folded on the table in front of her and set it aside for later.

“Thanks T.” V said. 

“Your chariot will be outside the Afterlife at 10am Tuesday. Don’t be late.” Dex stated before walking out

“Can’t wait for us to get to work!” T-Bug exclaimed. 

\--Monday—

V tried her best not to let her nerves get the better of her as she continued to lay in bed. It was 10:30am, just shy of 24 hours before the biggest gig of her life. She had gone over all the details in her head over and over, making sure she had everything committed to memory.

_We’re Corpo arms dealers. I’m Hannah Conwell and Jackie is Ramón Victorino. We have a meeting with Hajime Taki. The Delamain will drive us back to the Afterlife once we have the Relic. Safe house is the No Tell Motel if things go tits up. We’re getting a 40% cut of this deal, not too bad for new mercs. I haven’t told Judy yet…_

V swung her feet over the bed and hung her head, letting out a heavy. She kept trying to convince herself she shouldn’t be this down in the dumps. This was what she did for a living, although this gig was a bit more complicated than her usuals. She was going to come out of it on top and be able to spend a lot more time with Judy afterwards as a result. Yeah, that’s what was going to happen. She should be happy that she was finally making some big moves. She eventually gathered the courage to call Judy on the holo. The Ghost in the Shell icon appeared in her upper left display for a few seconds before Judy picked up.

“Hey there V! Pleasure seeing your lovely face early-ish in the morning. To what do I owe the pleasure?” She smiled at V. 

V tried to smile but was only somewhat successful. She had to tell Judy the news straight up.

“It’s about Evelyn’s job-it’s going down tomorrow morning. I wanted to let you know beforehand.”

Judy paused briefly, taking in the information. Her smile weakened. 

“Thanks for the heads up, V. Are you…having second thoughts or something?” Judy asked, concern in her voice.

“Not exactly. Things just seem too easy, and that’s usually not a good sign. It’s making me antsy.” 

“Well it’s not gonna be a cakewalk exactly, but you’ll pull it off. You’re quite talented after all.” Judy threw in a slight grin, trying to lighten V’s mood. 

“Heh, thanks for that. Unfortunately, I can’t exactly apply _those_ talents to a heist.” 

“You’re just not trying hard enough.” Judy joked.

V let out a genuine laugh.

“Thanks Judy, I needed that.” She smiled. “Hey I was wondering, if everything goes alright tomorrow, wanna grab another coffee this Friday? We can discuss what we wanna do on our second date.”

“Your gonk ass better not stand me up on Friday then.” Judy replied.

“Heh, would never dream of it, Judy. Alright, I gotta delta. Thanks for listening, take care.”

“Anytime V. Take care out there. And…call me when it’s over, please.”

“I will, I promise.” 

_I hope I don’t end up breaking that promise._

  
\---Tuesday, 10AM, The Afterlife---

Dressed like Corpo arms dealers in their tailored Militech suits, V and Jackie entered the Delemain that was parked in front of the Afterlife. The AI controlled cab greeted them as they got in, then proceeded to drive to Konpeki Plaza. The AI informed them that Dex had sprung for the Excelsior Package, meaning that the cab would enter ‘combat mode’ if it was under attack. It also came with comprehensive health coverage and would handle disposition of their bodies if necessary. 

_That’s grim as fuck, and somehow that doesn’t make me feel better._

Jackie continued to relish in their current situation while V tried to keep him grounded. To him, this was the ticket to the major leagues and a way off the streets. For V, this was a gig that only needed one small thing to unhinge it. But, it could also be her ticket out of Night City. They continued the rest of the trip to the hotel in silence. Upon reaching the front of the hotel, the AI wished them luck, stating that it would wait there for their return. 

“Shit’s finally happening.” Jackie commented.

_No going back now, it all starts here._

V took out her power revolver Overture, still unnerved that she would be going into the hotel without it. She deposited it in the center console of the back seat, hoping not to be parted from it for too long. 

“Alright, _Hannah_ , let’s go.” Jackie teased before exiting the cab and grabbing the Flathead case. T-Bug called them both, linking their comms together. 

They walked through the front doors, making their way to the security scanner. To no one’s surprise, the screening picked up the Flathead. V informed the guard that they were arms dealers from Militech. The concierge overheard the exchange and quickly apologized, bowing to Jackie as he proceeded through the scanner. V passed through the scanner next without any issue. They continued to the front desk and began the check in process with the receptionist-double room, two adults, one night. 

“Perfect. I will go ahead and notify Taki-san of your arrival” She said

[Shit, no good, not part of the plan. You need to stall her V.] T-Bug urged. 

V quickly intervened, putting on her best Corpo front to dissuade the receptionist from proceeding. 

“Have I asked you to do that?” V asked, putting on her best bitch tone.

“Um, no…I just thought that since…”

“Who asked you to think?” 

“Excuse me?” 

“I know damn well it wasn’t me. Who was it? A word of advice, if I may. Do only what you’re told to do. Now, what was that room number?”

“You’ll be in the Lapis Lazuli Suite on level forty-two. Everything seems to be in order. We wish you a pleasant stay.” 

“Thank you.” V replied, glad to be done with that ordeal. 

[Didn’t come on too strong?] T-Bug inquired.

“Trust me-places like this, you’re either strong or you’re nobody.” 

They proceeded to make their way through the lobby, locating the elevator that would take them to their suite. Jackie was throwing little jokes in here and there, much to T-Bugs dismay. Once on the 42nd floor, they moved to the suite.

“Pretty snazzy. Too bad we ain’t stayin’ the night. Nice choice, Bug.” Jackie complimented. 

V had to admit, the room was a lot nicer than the digs she was used to staying in. There was plenty of space, a wide open view, roomy king size bed, terrarium, and of course a holographic swimming fish on display. 

[Didn’t pick it for snazz. Offers quickest access to the dweller and servers.]

“ _Sí, sí, mi recuerdo_.” Jackie replied

[Now fire up the Flathead and find the shaft entrance.] T-Bug instructed 

“Sounds simple enough.” V responded. 

[Simplicity’s sometimes toughest to master.] T-Bug followed up with, showing her affinity for philosophy.

V booted up her (new and improved) optics, quickly locating the shaft entrance in the room’s lower left corner. Jackie proceeded to activate the Flathead, directing it towards the shaft. With its cloaking mechanism engaged, it began its journey into the shaft. 

“Systems are operational, charge at a hundred percent.” Jackie reported, until a few moments later. “Mierda. Little gonk’s stuck.” 

_Great, first the little holdup at reception and now this. I knew this sounded way too easy._

[Just gonna stand there and look at it? Gonna have to switch to manual control. V, take the control shard from Jackie. Gonna link your Kiroshis to surveillance so you can guide the bot.] 

_Thanks for the top-of-the-line optics Judy, they just got me voluntold to control this spider bot all up on the walls and might even make me lose my breakfast._ V joked to herself.

She walked over to Jackie and retrieved the control shard. 

“Here goes nothing.” She said, slotting the shard into her neural port. The familiar red warning triangle and loading bar appeared on her optics, indicating her upload progress with the shard. 

[Patching you through to in-cam view. Might get a little disoriented, but don’t freak.] T-Bug guided. 

V didn’t freak, but it was weird seeing her and Jackie from the camera mounted above the bed. 

_This is some next level shit right here, wish I could take the bot with me and tinker with it. Pretty sure Judy could come up with some clever mods too._

She quickly jumped to the next camera in the series, getting a feel for the new connection and eventually establishing a clear view. She switched cameras until she landed on the room with the bot, reestablishing the link with it and providing direction to the next vent- this time in the upper right corner. The bot executed the command effortlessly, utilizing the wall and ceiling to pass undetected. T-Bug patched her through to the next camera once the bot was through, this room was occupied by housekeeping. V had to think of a way to distract them so that the bot could get to the next vent unseen. The bot was cloaked, but the grate cover was not. A quick scan of the room’s subnet showed an option to mess with the terrarium’s temperature and air quality. She directed the bot to mess with the controls, successfully distracting the housekeeping staff and allowing clear access to the shaft. 

[Good work V]

The bot continued to proceed through the shaft, T-Bug could see that the Dweller was just beyond the next door. 

[Bot’s having trouble with the door, gonna need to find another way.]

Since the main door wasn’t an option, V guided the bot through a passage underneath the room, enabling it to pop up on the other side. With the Dweller now in sight, V decided it was safer to neutralize him right there rather than take a chance leaving him alive. T-Bug had no objections, grafting a demonoid onto her link to deal with him. V commanded the bot to jack in to the netrunner’s chair, successfully uploading the daemon and neutralizing him. 

_Phew, at least that’s taken care of. Shame we gotta leave the bot there to keep an eye on him._

With one of their main obstacles removed, T-Bug disconnected V from the surveillance cams, bringing her vision back to the room in front of her, which she was thankful for.

“That’s how it’s done!” Jackie exclaimed. “How’re you feeling?”

“Fine. Little dizzy, that’s all.” 

“Bug? How’re you doin’ on time?” Jacked inquired. 

She hesitated briefly.

[Sooo listen. ICE is thicker than I thought. Piercing it’ll take a couple hours.]

“A couple hours? Can’t do it any faster?”

[Want my brain to burst into flames? Just sit down and enjoy your snazzy suite.] T-Bug shot back.

“Thanks, I will. V, you take it easy, OK? Rest up a bit.” 

V was amenable to Jackie’s suggestion, walking over the the couch in front of the bed and taking a seat. It didn’t take more than a few minutes before she nodded off. Her thoughts soon turned to Judy, remembering all of her various smiles from their date night. V recalled the feeling of their lips pressed together, their shared emotions expressed in unison. She longed to feel that way once more, picturing them back at Tom’s Diner enjoying another cup of coffee (this time without milk). She thought of the abandoned drive-in movie theater in North Oak, picturing her and Judy sneaking in to watch a film all to themselves. All of this could be a reality again, she just needed to get through the next couple of hours. She was so close to finally having what she’d been working towards these past ten years. 

~Three and a half hours later~

“Whaddaya think? Why’d he give it all up?” Jackie asked

V was instantly brought out of her daydreaming, she didn’t even realize Jackie was talking to her. Hadn’t she just closed her eyes for a second? 

“Hmm? Who gave what up?” She replied.

Jackie continued to talk about Yorinobu Arasaka, the Emperor’s son, and the one they were just about to klep from. V didn’t care about his personal life or daddy issues, she just wanted to steal his Relic and delta the fuck out of Konpeki Plaza as soon as possible. 

[Yorinobu just walked into the lobby. And we are back in biz. Penthouse security is neutralized.] T-Bug informed.

_Speak of the devil._

“Perfecto, let’s start the show.” Jackie replied. V followed him out the front door of their suite and they made their way back to the elevator, this time heading for the penthouse. They began their ascent to their final destination.

“Ahh, there’s the awkward silence. You, uh, wanna hear a joke?” Jackie asked. 

[Now? Seriously?]

“Ok, so why’d the rockerboy’s output kick him out of the apartment? ‘Cause he wasn’t chippin’ in. Hahaaaa!”

[Jesus Christ…]

V couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at Jackie’s silly joke, she could use a little bit of an icebreaker going into the home stretch. 

The doors opened and they were greeted with the visage of Yorinobu’s penthouse. V had to do a double take, she was finally seeing this place for herself, not via BD. It was a little freaky in her opinion. Still, she was glad Evelyn’s intel had been spot on. They quickly made their way over the the safe’s location in the upper left corner of the suite. 

[Sig on Yorinobu’s gone dark. Some kinda dead zone’s my guess. I’ll have him back in a sec.] T-Bug exclaimed.

Remembering Evelyn’s BD, V peeled off and headed to the bedroom, activating the switch on the left end table that would eject the Relic’s case from the floor. She heard Jackie whoop, indicating the switch had worked. 

“What now?” She asked T-Bug.

[Jack in your personal and make us rich!]

“On it.” She proceeded to remove her personal link from the lower right corner of her left palm, jacking it into the port on the case. 

“Your turn Bug.” 

[Gimme two…]

_Holy shit, we’re actually doing this!_

The red warning triangle and upload indicator flashed on her display, the breach protocol was going a bit slower than V would have liked. Suddenly, three AVs appeared outside the window behind them, not your basic transporters. It looked like two Trauma Team transports and a high end personnel transporter. 

“We got winged visitors…Bug?” Jackie said, concern in his voice. 

[Dunno who, but staff’s abuzz. All two hundred on their feet, can’t keep still.]

**_Uploading 56%_ **

“Can’t say I like this. How much longer, T?” Jackie asked. 

[Shit. Yorinobu’s penthouse bound!]

_FUCK, this is not good. Upload faster goddammit!_

“Fuck him! Open the safe!” Jackie yelled. 

_**Uploading 92%** _

[Almost got it…done!] 

“Preem!” V exclaimed, disconnecting her personal link from the case. 

Jackie reached in and grabbed the case. 

[Relic intact?]

“Bioshard integrity-one hundred percent. Guessin’ that’s a yes.” 

“Good, let’s go!” 

They started jogging back to the elevator, V was hoping they were just one ride away from freedom. 

[Fuck, too late! Yorinobu’s about to walk in-find cover!] 

_Fuck fuck fuck! I knew shit was going to go wrong!_

“Where?!” V asked, panic creeping into her voice. 

[Fat pillar-try that!]

“You fuckin’ kidding?!” Jackie exclaimed.

[No! Inside it! Now!]

They rushed to the pillar located behind the room’s large display screen and slipped inside, waiting for Yorinobu walk through the elevator doors at any second. 

“We’re in.” V whispered to T-Bug.

Just then, Yorinobu stepped out of the elevator, followed by the one and only Adam Smasher. He was the most chrome augmented person in NC-barely human anymore, and a grim motherfucker. V had seen him in Evelyn’s BD, but he was even more terrifying in person. 

“What’s the play?” Jackie whispered.

“We wait.” V whispered back. 

It appeared that Yorinobu was waiting for someone to arrive from the helipad. 

“Bug, who we got incoming?” Jackie asked. 

[Nuh-uh, no fucking way! This isn’t happening! Saburo Arasaka?!]

V’s heart started to pound in her chest, she tried to keep her breathing under control. 

_The fucking EMPEROR! This whole gig is a complete bust now._

V and Jackie tried their best to stay calm and quiet, praying to whatever gods may be that the security guards wouldn’t discover them while sweeping the perimeter. They caught a break, Yorinobu quickly dismissed Smasher and his father’s personal guard, wishing to speak to his father alone. They stood statue still, watching the interaction between father and son, emperor and heir apparent. V couldn’t’ even comprehend what she was witnessing, she didn’t want too. This was some deep shit that she didn’t need to be privy to. Their conversation seemed to drag on forever in V’s mind, she just wanted them to hug it out and delta as soon as possible.

_How much fucking long-_

Yorinobu suddenly grabbed his father by the shoulders and threw him against the display glass in front of them, then continued to press him up against the glass-strangling him. 

_Fuck me, this is NOT happening!!!_

After a few moments Saburo Arasaka, Emperor and head of the Arasaka Corporation, slumped to the floor, dead. 

V couldn’t believe what she just witnessed. She knew there would be no chance at a normal life now. If she made it through today, she’d be a wanted woman for the rest of her days. Her only chance now was to make it out of her alive and disappear of the face of the earth. 

“I…I wish to put the hotel on lockdown. Saburo Arasaka has been murdered.” Yorinobu informed the hotel’s AI.

“Code Red initiated.” The AI responded

[[[Attention! Code Red has been initiated throughout Konpeki Plaza. Please remain in your rooms and follow all instructions given by the staff]]]

_That’s it, the sound of the nail in our coffin._

Adam Smasher and Saburo’s (former) bodyguard filed back into the room upon hearing the Code Red. Yorinobu quickly lied to them, claiming that his father had been poisoned. After a brief exchange, they then made their exit through the elevator. 

[What the fuck just happened in there?]

“Yorinobu…just offed Saburo!” V exclaimed, voice still a whisper. 

[What?!]

“His own fuckin’ pops…” Jackie added. 

[Know what this means?! Security’s gonna swarm the place any second! Oh my god, we’re so fucked!]

_Oh I know Bug, don’t need reminding._

“Bug, need you to get us out of here. Now!” V yelled

[Gimme a sec!]

“We don’t have a sec!” Jackie exclaimed. 

“Fuck!” 

[Okay, got something! Window-now!]

V and Jackie sprinted to the rear window.

[Releasing the lock. Should see a ladder…Ladder…oh fuck. No, no, no, no-not now! I’ve been made! Aaaarghhhhhhhhh]

T-Bug’s comm went dark as the window to the outside ledge finally opened. 

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Jackie yelled.

_No, not T-Bug. Shit! This is the beginning of the end, isn’t it? They’re gonna pick us off one by one now._

They made their way outside, heading left and around the corner to locate the ladder. It was going to require some precarious balancing to reach. 

“You can do it Jackie…just don’t’ look down.” Jackie said to himself, trying to remain calm. 

V pressed her back to the window, slowly shimmying her way closer to the ladder, heart hammering in her chest. 

“Yep, that’s fucking high!” Jackie continued. 

They continued their slow progress.

“Shit! That Trauma?” Jackie asked, hearing AVs in the distance. 

“If they’re here for Saburo, they’re a little late!” 

“Just hope they didn’t see us!” 

Just as Jackie finished his remark, a Trauma Team AV rounded the pillar that the ladder was secured to, positioning itself in front of them. 

[[[SUSPECTS IN VIOLATION OF SECURITY PROTOCOLS]]]

“Time to bail!” Jackie yelled.

V took one last look at the ladder that had been mere feet away before looking down at the atrium far below, quickly accepting her fate. 

_No quiet life for me, just a blaze of glory._

They jumped. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re gonna be heading into some heavy canon divergence next chapter (and therefore the rest of the story), be prepared. If you’ve played the game and think you know how it’s all gonna unfold, you’re wrong. But trust me, it’s for the good of the gays :D Gotta go down before we can go back up again, grab your iron and buckle up. 
> 
> Next time: Escape from Konpeki Plaza  
> Chapter 10: Fallout


	10. The Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V and Jackie attempt to escape Konpeki Plaza-alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wake up Samurai, we got a fucking canon to burn.

Bullets started raining down on V and Jackie as the AV opened fire. They slid along the side of the building briefly before getting catapulted off the edge towards the atrium below. V barely had enough time to raise her arms and brace for the impact through the glass and subsequent tumble to the grate flooring below. Even with reinforced joints and other cybernetic enhancements, the jump from the penthouse ledge still hurt like hell. She blacked out for a few seconds (or was it minutes?) before coming to. The red horizonal lines on her retinal display indicated that she was injured, but not critically. She could see the bioshard’s case in front of her, small sparks jumping from the top. Jackie crawled over to check the integrity. 

“Oof, that was a close one.” V coughed out thankful to still be in one piece.

“Oh shit, the Relic!” Jackie exclaimed. 

Spotlights began appearing overhead. 

“This ain’t good. Agggh.” He grunted, clenching his right side.

“Jackie, you’re bleedin’!” 

He pulled up his shirt to check the extent of the damage. A shard of glass had given him a nasty cut on his left side, thankfully it was superficial and looked worse than it actually was. 

“Gonna have a sweet scar to go with the three bullet holes in my chest.” He tried to joke.   
“But worry about me later, let’s check the Relic. Container depressurized. Biochip integrity at ninety-four percent…and fuckin’ dropping. _Carajo_! Parker! Call her!” 

“And tell her what? That we fried the case?!”

“Just do it!” Jackie demanded. 

V got on the holo and called Evelyn, her avatar materializing in the upper left corner of her display. 

“V! Konpeki’s all over the feeds! What the fuck’s going on there?!”

“Got a problem! Cryocase is damaged! Biochip integrity’s at…Jackie?”

“Eighty-six percent!”

“Eighty-six percent and droppin’!” 

“Shit!” Evelyn exclaimed “Okay, listen to me. There’s only one thing you can do. One of you has gotta slot the Relic into your neural port.” 

“What the _hell_ are you talking about?!”

“The Relic can’t be isolated-it has to be nested in a safe environment.” 

“Well, someone’s gotta do it.” Jackie stated, attempting to reach out and open the case. 

“Yeah, me.” V interjected, moving the case closer to her and opening it. “I’m in better shape than you are right now, gonna take it just to be safe.” She pulled the Relic from the case and slotted it into her neural port, eyes glowing blue temporarily as the shard was registered by her operating system. 

“V, you okay?” Jackie asked. 

“I guess? Don’t feel any different.” 

“Once you’re back, we’ll take out the Relic and run a full brain scan and sweep.” Evelyn stated. “But you two need to get the fuck out of there first.”

 _No shit Evelyn._

“We’re working on it!” V yelled. Evelyn ended the holo and Jackie proceeded to call the Delamain cab. 

“Del, we’ll be there in a couple. Be ready, got it?” 

“Certainly, Mr. Welles.” The AI coolly replied. 

“Better be fuckin’ certain.” 

They slowly got to their feet and began to make their way out of wherever they had landed. V checked herself over, she was covered in dozens of small cuts and scrapes and would certainly have some bruising, but nothing seemed to be broken.

_Thank the merc gods above for small miracles._

“We gotta somehow reach the lobby. Only chance to hit the garage. And we best be quick.” Jackie explained. He was able to find a Max Doc in a nearby container and quickly administered the shot to himself. “Oh yeah, that’s the good shit.” 

They began their escape by descending down a set of stairs, sneaking as best as they could manage. Two guards were just beyond the bottom of the stairwell performing a comms check, still unaware of their approach. They took them by surprise and quickly neutralized them. V was happy to have the reassurance of iron by her side once again after searching their bodies for gear. 

_Silencer, could come in handy._

She was hoping she wouldn’t need to use it just yet, stealth was still the best approach to take to increase their chances of getting out of this alive. The Code Red had sealed off most of the open doorways, forcing them to sneak by more Arasaka guards. They were fortunate in the first corridor as most of the guards were facing away from their direction of approach, enabling them to continue to take them out by stealth. The Distract Enemies quickhack was quickly becoming V’s new go to hack. She ended up cracking more necks in ten minutes than she had all year. Upon making their way through the second corridor, two Konpeki security assault specialists appeared around the corner, spotting them instantly. 

“Surrender immediately!” One of them yelled.

_So much for a stealthy escape._

The rest of the escape became blurred by the sheer amount of lead that was exchanged between V, Jackie, and the security forces. They fought their way through to the elevator that they had utilized earlier, taking out the guards in bloody fashion. Upon trying to call the elevator, they realized it had been deactivated. They pushed their frustration aside and kept shooting their way through to the next available elevator. V kept switching weapons with every other enemy she defeated, a shotgun here, submachinegun there. Whatever she could loot that still had plenty of rounds in the chamber, she used. 

_Hello there grenades, you’re coming with me._

They were finally able to grab a security clearance shard off the heavy enemy they delt with in the next elevator, providing them authorized access to the lobby. The doors opened and they were instantly met with more gunfire and a few flashbang grenades. Security was the toughest here, several security assault specialists stood between them and the final elevator to the garage, to freedom. V was forced to take cover behind a desk, allowing her to hack the subnet and weaken security with short circuit quickhacks. She and Jackie worked in tandem with him providing covering fire and V flanking from the side. Just when she thought they were in the clear, a mech unit appeared from a hidden floor elevator and began unloading its payload on them. 

_Of course they have a fuckin’ mech just chilling in the floor for moments like this._

V used up a good chunk of her ammo dealing with the mech, thankful for the EMP grenade she had grabbed off a fallen assault security specialist. Jackie was in better position to take the mech unaware, so she shoved the grenade across the floor to his position. They made eye contact and nodded. Jackie threw the EMP grenade and V hit the mech with a short circuit and overheat quickhack combo. The mech collapsed to its knees, fire and sparks erupting from its body. Once they established that all enemies had eliminated, they were able to sprint to the elevator and make their way down to the garage. Jackie quickly punched the ‘close doors’ button on the control panel. 

“Fuck, that was too close.” Jackie remarked, chest heaving. 

“Don’t say that yet, still gotta get to the Delamain.” V replied, struggling to get her breathing under control.

Sure enough, they were greeted by several more of Arasaka’s security forces in the garage. However, the Delamain was already tracking them and waiting no more than fifty feet away.

“I advise that you waste no time in entering the vehicle.” The AI remarked through their comms. 

V did a hasty scan of the garage, tagging eight enemies-too risky for her and Jackie to plough through. She decided to utilize the last of her grenades by rushing the vehicle in the chaos of the explosions. She gave Jackie the rundown of the plan.

“Ready Jackie?!” 

“Hit it _chica_!”

She primed two incendiary and two flash bang grenades, checking the trajectories before lobbing them towards the enemy. They had made the mistake of clustering too close the the Delamain. As soon as the grenades exploded, she and Jackie broke into a sprint towards the Delamain. The combined concussive forces of the explosions blew the remaining guards away. Whether the blasts killed them or knocked them out, V didn’t bother to check. 

“Delamain, gun it!” V yelled as she approached the cab. 

“Welcome back with Delamain, where you leave your problems at the door.” 

V was just about to grab the handle of the cab when an explosion detonated a few feet behind her, the force sending her into the side of the car. The explosion had come from Yorinobu’s bodyguard, Adam Smasher. He was slowly making his way towards the Delamain, a sadistic look on his metal face. He resembled a predator about to toy with its prey.

“V!” Jackie yelled. He quickly moved to the other side of the vehicle, opening the door and throwing V into the back seat. 

“Delamain, let’s delta the fuck out of here now or else we’re gonna have some serious problems here!” The cab blew through the garage door and began to speed off, Smasher simply grinned as he watched them drive away. 

“Not bad!” Jackie commented towards V, only to discover that she wasn’t responding. There was a nasty gash on the left side of her head that was bleeding steadily. 

“Alas, we are being pursued.” Delamain announced.

“Sweet fucking Jesus!” Jackie cursed as bullets began to bounce off the hood of the cab. 

“Combat mode activated. Please remain calm.” 

Just then, Adam Smasher busted through a building to their left, intercepting their route. He still wore that sinister excuse for a smile on his face. 

“Roadblock ahead. I kindly request that you brace for impact.” 

The cab reversed and made a sharp right turn into an Arasaka vehicle blockade, but away from Smasher. The Delamain blew through the blockade and continued to speed away. Three drones soon appeared and locked onto their position. Jackie grabbed his pistol out of the center console and began firing wildly at the mechs, ultimately eliminating each one. 

“Hostile aircraft eliminated.” Delamain confirmed. 

“Phew, nice work there Del!” Jackie exclaimed, then quickly checked again on V. She was breathing, but still unconscious. 

“My medical diagnostics indicate that Ms. V’s condition is mostly stable. She seems to have suffered a concussion. The condition does not appear to be fatal.” 

“Take us to a ripperdoc! Now!” Jackie demanded.

“Apologies. The route has been predetermined and-“

“Fuck that! Del I swear to god I’ll find your main server and fry your fucking ass off the face of this earth if you don’t get us to a ripper right this goddamn second!” He threatened. 

The Delamain was silent for a few moments before responding. 

“Customer comment noted. Which ripperdoc would you like me to drive to?”

“Viktor Vector, and step on it D.”

“I’ll do my best Mr. Welles.” 

Jackie scooted closer to V and started checking her over for further injuries. He ripped off a part of his suit jacket and tried to clean off the blood that was slowly oozing out of her head. 

“You made it to the major leagues _chica_ , just gotta stay will me a little longer so Vik can patch you up. You’re finally gonna be able to leave this city behind you, keep fighting for that V. Stay with me choom…”

\-----  
_Walking down a hallway._  
_The stage, bright concert lights, screaming fans._  
_Helicopter. A woman-Rogue. The Others._  
_2023, Arasaka HQ._  
_Rooftop, gunfire, explosions._  
\-----  
“Let’s get her inside!” Viktor yelled. 

“I’m having trouble holding her, got a little banged up myself.” Jackie grunted. 

“Misty!” Viktor called out.   
\-----  
_Malorian Arms 3516 power pistol, breaching the door._  
_The bomb, loaded into the elevator._  
_More gunfire, heads exploding._  
_Office space, heading up the stairs._  
_Access point, jacking in._  
\-----  
“Blood pressure’s okay but could be better. Gotta clean up the frontal and temporal bones, there’s some hefty fracture there.” Monitors were beeping away in the background.  
\-----  
_News on the TV._  
_Escape, falling, Adam Smasher._  
_Helicopter, Rogue, slipping._  
_Smasher, pain, sirens._  
\-----  
“How is she?” Jackie asked  
“Slower on the mend than you, but better every day.” Victor replied.  
\-----  
_Interrogation, Saburo Arasaka, technician._  
_Wreath._  
_Soulkiller._  
_Fear._  
_Death._

  
[ _Wake the fuck up Samurai, we have a city to burn…_ ]  
\-----  
“V? You in there?” Viktor asked

She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the harsh examination lights. 

“Ugh, my head.” She groaned, gently probing the left side of her head. “Where’s Jackie? Is he alright?” 

“Patched him up and let him go two yesterday, said he was going to spend some time with his mom in Heywood. He didn’t leave your side the entire time y'know.”

“Thanks Vik, for taking care of him. He’s my best choom.” V tried to smile, but winced in pain at the movement. 

“How ya feelin’?” He asked. 

“Honestly, I don’t know Vik. Think I’ve been having some weird ass dreams.” 

Viktor raised an eyebrow at V’s statement. 

“Your dreams, describe ‘em too me.” 

“It was all jumbled, like I was dreaming in fragments. There was a concert, followed by the 2023 attack on Arasaka HQ, then I watched Johnny Silverhand die-but all from his point of view. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I just witnessed the best BD work out there, seemed too real to be a dream. And there was something else, I heard a voice at the end. Come to think of it, might’ve been Silverhand’s. He told me ‘Wake the fuck up Samurai, we have a city to burn’.”

Viktor took a few moments to analyze all of V’s information, resting his chin on his hand and pacing back and forth for several minutes. 

“I don’t think you were dreaming V.” Viktor stopped pacing and took a seat on his round doctor’s stool and rolled closer to V. “I’ve been studying this biochip ever since you dropped in and I think I have a theory about what might be going on here. These ‘fragments’ you saw were actually memories, I was able to decipher some sort of personality aspect on the shard. From what you just told me, looks like it belongs to Johnny Silverhand. Might even contain some of his thoughts too by the looks of it. Don’t know how the hell it was done, but they were loaded onto this shard and have now been consequently uploaded to your brain, kinda like those old USB drives from way back.”

V was confused, it was written all over her face. 

“Am I gonna be able to eject the shard and tell all of this to fuck off?” She motioned to the left side of her head. 

“Unfortunately, that’s where I have the bad news. The Relic’s not doing you any harm right now, but if I try to remove it, then it will.” He swung a monitor around to show V. “See here.” He pointed to her most recent brain scan. “It’s formed a link with your nervous system. Some lowly ripper like me tries to sever that link, you’re flatlined. But if you can somehow find a way to safely uncouple it, it’ll come out along with all the data on it. Think of it as safely ejecting a data bank on a computer before unplugging it from the port.” He tried to explain in simpler terms. 

“Soooo, it’s not killing me, but if I get an itch and scratch too hard and accidently eject it…” 

“Heh, more or less kid. But lucky for you that blow to your head did a number on your neural port, it’s not a smooth in and out like it was before. You’d have to really work it to get it out.” 

V leaned back in Viktor’s chair, slowly processing all of his information. 

“These thoughts and memories that came with the chip, what about them?”

“Hard to tell right now. So far, they’ve only been manifesting when you’re asleep. They might stay that way too since it’s been four days without any change. As for the thoughts, might have yourself a little guardian angel now.”

“More like another devil on my shoulder, Silverhand was a fuckin’ terrorist after all. Fuck Vik, you’re positive you’re not able to jimmy this shit outta my head?” 

“If I could, I would V. Believe me. But this is way beyond my scope. Unfortunately, you’re just gonna have to deal with a dead man’s thought’s and memories from time to time until the bioshard’s taken care of. Not the worst thing to happen to you, but not the best either. My guess? You’ll need to track down someone that knows this level of tech, or even worked on it. Knowing your luck, you’re probably gonna have to go back to Arasaka.”

V laughed to herself before landing a coughing fit due to the strain. 

“Ah yes of course, outta the frying pan and into the fire.” 

Viktor chuckled. 

“Try and rest up some more V, I’ll continue to check up on you here and there. Got some pills on the table to help you sleep.” 

“Thanks Vik.” 

~Later that night~

V was resting at Viktor’s clinic, lost a dreamless sleep for the first night since arriving. It had been four days since the heist, Viktor planned on giving her a final look over tomorrow to see if she was well enough to be sent home. The fracture on the left of her skull was the most severe injury she sustained, and she was still covered in numerous cuts and bruises from the ordeal. Viktor and Misty had done a thorough job tending to her wounds, time would take care of the rest. The meds that Viktor used to help her sleep were working well, too well. She didn’t hear the slight creek of the metal gate opening and the stranger slipping in, monowire glowing green as he stalked towards her. He was no more than two feet away from the chair she was reclined in, primed to flatline her at any second. Viktor suddenly sprung from the side room and tackled the unknowing assailant to the ground. He was no match for a man like Vik who had spent his whole life on the streets and in the ring. Viktor deactivated his monowire and swiftly maneuvered the man into a chokehold, quickly putting him to sleep. 

[ _Wake up Samurai…_ ] 

V snapped out of sleep and bolted up in the chair.

“Vik, what the _fuck_ is going on here!? Did you just save my life _again_?”

Viktor got up from the floor and proceeded to dust himself off. 

“Looks like this choom sneaked in and tried to flatline you. I was doing some inventory in the side room when I heard the gate open, then caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of my eye. Dumbass didn’t’ even bother to search for me.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pay off my debt at this rate.” V joked. 

“This one’s on the house kid.” He smirked, then picked up the wannabe assassin and propped him in a chair, restraining him. “I only choked him out, figured we can make him talk once he comes back around. Might take a minute though, my holds are legendary.”

“Heh, that they are Vik, good call. I want to know who the hell sent him. Doesn’t look like Arasaka, they have their own professional hitmen with some of the best chrome out there, so who the hell could have sent him? Seems unlikely to be a lone wolf.” 

A few minutes later and the perpetrator finally started to come around, anger in his eyes upon realizing his failure. He struggled desperately against his bonds, but Viktor made sure he wouldn’t be able to break through. Both V and Viktor faced him, intent clear on their faces. 

“If you think I’m gonna talk, you’re-”

Viktor gave him a swift punch in the gut followed up by a severe uppercut. The man doubled over and went into a coughing fit, spitting out blood and part of a tooth. 

“Really want to get your face caved in by a someone that used to be a champ in the ring?” Viktor asked, pulling out a pair of shiny brass knuckles from his pockets. 

“You fucking gonk, you’re in a _ripperdoc clinic_ , we can _literally_ make you talk. Sodium pentothal, ever heard of it? I’m guessing that’s a no. You might know it as Truth Serum. So, what’ll it be asshole? Pounded into submission, drugged out of your goddamn mind, or maybe just giving us the deets upfront and you might walk out of here alive.” V said, crossing her arms across her chest and waiting for the man’s answer. She could tell he was frantically running through his options.

The man took a few moments before hanging his head, defeated. He sighed and whispered two words.

“Dexter DeShawn” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is, the beginning of the canon divergence that was promised! To clarify: 1) V can't see Johnny, his thoughts will just pop up from time to time, he's not a big part of this story 2) The Relic isn't fatal! Just really fucking annoying. 3) V unintentionally stood Judy up :( but I'm sure she'll understand
> 
> Next time: V is forced to lay low as she recovers.   
> Chapter 11: Picking up the Pieces   
> (updated 2/4/21: I was going to go straight into V hunting down Dex, but kinda forgot that she has just a few injuries going on right now, so we're gonna deal with that first :) )


	11. Picking Up the Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V starts planning her next moves, only to realize she forgot something kinda important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a bit on the short side, but I think it's a nice followup from the last chapter. Judy's back!

~The next day (Sunday)~

V was delighted to be back in her own bed, even if all she was doing was staring at the ceiling while her body continued to heal. She had called Jackie as soon as the would-be assassin was dealt with. Both agreed it would be best if he took Señora Welles and got out of the city while V investigated what was going on with Dex. The Welles had family in San Francisco so she felt a little less on edge knowing that they would safe and far away from Dex’s influence. Her mind felt like it was going a million miles a minute. Her life had become unnecessarily complicated this week, she felt overwhelmed trying to think of where to start, which problem to address first. 

_[Could use a smoke right about now.]_

_That must be Johnny. Haven’t smoked in years asshole, let’s try to keep it that way._

She repositioned herself in bed, trying to get comfortable despite her numerous bruises. She rested her hands on her stomach and closed her eyes, attempting to organize her thoughts. 

_Since the Relic’s more of an inconvenience than anything I should deal with Dex first. Who knows if he’s gonna pull another stunt on me. Gotta grab some intel on his location first. But who even knows him? He disappeared for like two years prior to this then suddenly popped up out of nowhere. Maybe I could try asking around The Afterlife? Nah, he might have eyes posted there. Evelyn…she was his contact for this job, she might know how to find him._

V activated her holo and called Evelyn Parker. Her avatar materialized in V’s upper left display, but the call kept ringing. She didn’t pick up. V tried again, still no answer. 

_Thanks for nothing Evelyn. Since you decided not to pick up your phone this morning, perhaps Judy might be able to-oh **FUCK** , Judy!_

V quickly reactivated her holo and called Judy, almost dropping it in her haste. It barely rang twice before Judy answered. V was having a hard time making out her expression. There was surprise for sure, but she could also see not so subtle hints of anger, hurt, but also relief. 

“V?! Is that you!? I tried calling and texting you this _entire_ fucking week, but I could never get through! You didn’t call on Tuesday _and_ you didn’t show on Friday! I thought you were _gone_!”

_Fuck, she’s really upset. And she has every right to be, I let her down…I hurt her._

V’s heart sank despite seeing Judy in her field of view once again. 

“My holo didn’t survive the gig, I was only able to get a new one this morning after leaving Vik’s clinic. He just cleared me to go home no more than two hours ago. I’m _so_ fucking sorry Judy, I would _never_ intentionally leave you in the dark like that.” She felt tears forming in her eyes. 

Judy remained silent, her face difficult to read. V’s heart continued to sink.   
  
“I can’t apologize enough for everything I’ve put you through this week. I’m so, _so_ fucking sorry Judy. Please, forgive me. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” A tear started to roll down her right cheek. 

Judy let out a deep sigh before responding, her expression softened. 

“Fucking hell V, I’m just glad you’re alive. You had me so fuckin’ worried, y’know? I can deal with a lot, but not with you just disappearing like that. Besides, everyone knows you don’t ghost a Latina woman.” She joked lightly. “What the hell even happened at Konpeki? You look like you got into one hell of a scrap-and _lost_.” She smirked. 

V let out a small laugh. 

“Can’t give you all the deets yet. Just know that things went south really fucking fast and that Jackie and I barely escaped with our lives. Now I gotta play a game of cat and mouse with someone-and I was the mouse yesterday.”

Judy whistled.

“Don’t tell me you’re about to go suit up and do your whole merc thing right now lookin’ the way you do.”

V chucked as much as her injuries allowed her. 

“Viktor would kill me if he found out I was out of bed, especially if I was doing merc things. Nah, I gotta sit down and get my shit straightened out. Need to make some calls, gather intel, that sort of thing. Gonna be weird being a paper pusher type merc for a bit instead of the lead spitting kind.” 

Judy snickered. 

“I’m sure you’ll manage V.” She paused briefly. “You know, I should be keeping you in the doghouse for a few days, but you really do look like shit. I might even feel a little bad for you. What would you say to some coffee-without milk?” She asked.

V’s heart jumped, recovering from earlier. 

“You don’t have to do that Judy, especially after the shit I pulled.”

“Well, seeing as you won’t be out and about for a while, figure I can swing by and provide some outside comfort in the form of a hot beverage.” Her expression was mostly back to the kind, smiling face that V adored. 

“Alright, but only because you said no milk. Although if you did decide to ‘accidently’ sneak some into it to get back at me, I’d understand.” She attempted a smirk.

“Ha, I’ll think about it. Gimme a few minutes to put things here on pause and then I’ll be on my way. Where is your apartment anyway?”

“The Megabuilding in Watson, 8th floor, room H10. I’ll be here.” She joked 

  
“See you in a bit V.” 

_That ended…much better than expected. Still fucking hurt, but I feel better now. I really hope she does too. Need to ask her about Evelyn too, but that can wait until later._

V walked over to her sink, turning on the water and gently washing off her face. She winced whenever she ran over particularly tender areas. She turned off the sink and grabbed the towel next to it, patting her face dry. 

_I don’t’ even want to look in the mirror._

She lifted her eyes slowly to take in her reflection. A white bandage was affixed to the shaved left portion of her head where the fracture was. She was sporting a serious shiner under her left eye, most likely another result of the blast. The dark blue and purple providing a sharp contrast to her fair complexion. There were a few small cuts scattered about her face from the crash through the atrium, a small split on the left side of her lip rounded out her facial injuries.

_Judy was right, I do look like shit._

She continued to examine the rest of her body, lifting bandages here and there to better examine the damage. Aside from bullet grazes on her left calf and right shoulder, she was just a mess of small cuts and colorful bruises. 

_All things considered, could’ve been worse. Those titanium bones really came in handy._

_[You look like a joytoy that’s just had one hell of a night]_

_Wow, that was just rude and no one fucking asked. This is going to get annoying really quick, wonder if Vik or Misty can help shut this fucker up._

She hobbled over to her wardrobe and put on some grey sweatpants and a loose black hoodie over her bandages, tying to look at least somewhat presentable for Judy. She opened up the blinds all the way to let in the sunlight as well as some fresh air then proceeded to turn on the news so that there would be some background noise. Once she was satisfied with the state of her apartment, she sat on the couch and began reading one of the books on the table. Forty minutes later she heard a knock on her door.

“Who is it?” She asked, putting on her best sarcastic sing-song impression.

“The girl who’s about five seconds away from dumping coffee on your doorstep!” Judy yelled through the door. 

V got up from the couch and proceeded to deactivate the door. V was so happy to see Judy’s smiling face in front of her again, the two coffees she had in her hand were just a bonus.

“As promised, coffee without milk.” Judy said, handing her the cup in her left hand.

“Thanks for coming over Judy, and for the coffee. It means a lot, really.” She smiled, then went to take a small sip of the coffee. She grimaced slightly. “I see you decided to put milk in it afterall, fair enough.” 

Judy let out a laugh.

“Oh shit, I gave you mine! Sorry about that V, forgot which cup was which.” 

“Sure you did, Judy.” V joked. 

Judy switched their cups. V just stared at the second cup suspiciously. 

“I promise, it’s black as your merc heart in that cup.” She grinned. 

V took a hesitant sip and was happy to discover that Judy had been true to her word. She led them to the lounge area where they sat side by side on the couch. After a few brief minutes of small talk V sat her coffee down and leaned over to give Judy a hug, holding her close and probably a little tighter than necessary. It took Judy by surprise, but she quickly embraced the gesture. 

“What’s going on V? You alright?”

“This is me trying to thank you. For taking time out of your day to come see me, for not totally hating me after everything that happened this week, for all the kindness you’ve shown me.” V didn’t realize that tears were forming in her eyes again. She pulled away and quickly wiped them away, turning her attention back to the coffee cup. She felt Judy’s hand cup the right side of her face, turning it back towards her.

“V, I care about you-more than I thought I would given the amount of time I’ve known you. You’ve been nothing but kind and respectful to me ever since we met. Sure, you hit the mother of all fuck ups this week and inadvertently pissed me off as a result, but you’re still the V that introduced me to the best ramen in Night City as well as to one of the prettiest views the city has to offer.” She ran her thumb over V’s cheek. “You’re a good person V, and you’re worth the little bit of extra effort here and there.” She placed a soft kiss on V’s left cheek, mindful of the injuries. 

V couldn’t stop the tears falling down her cheeks this time, but she still wore a smile. 

_She’s too kind to me, gotta make damn sure I can make all of this up to her. She deserves it, and I want to show here she’s worth the effort too._

“I know I know, sharing mushy feelings is the worst.” Judy joked, trying to cheer V up. She ran her hand over V’s back in a soothing motion. 

“I’d kiss you by my lip’s kinda busted.” V joked, pointing to the sizeable split on the left side. 

Judy leaned back and quickly examined the damage. 

“Eh, I’ve seen worse.” She kissed V on the right side of her lips, avoiding the split. 

V shifted her position, encouraging Judy to cuddle into her, which she obliged. 

“Not sure how long you’re planning on staying, but on Sunday they usually play some old throwback movies on channel 4. Saw it’s gonna be Blade Runner today, you interested?” 

“Oh wow, pre-2000’s, vintage. Lucky for you I enjoy the classics, and I still have some time to spare before I have to head back out.” 

“Nova, I’ll go ahead and put it on.” V smiled. They continued to cuddle on the couch and finish their coffees for the next half hour or so until the movie started, then began to watch the 1982 movie’s take on 2019. 

_[That’s not how it was back then, not even fucking close.]_  
_You would know that, wouldn’t you? Just shut up and enjoy the movie._

It was still early in the movie when V turned to face Judy. All of this movie talk had given her an idea.

“What if I told you that there was a place where we could watch a movie-full screen-all to ourselves.” 

“Alright, I’m listening.” Judy responded, raising an eyebrow. 

“Since I owe you a pretty epic date, think I got the perfect place in mind.” V grinned. 

“Aaaaaand? Gonna tell me or are you just gonna continue to wear that stupid grin on your face?” She joked back. 

“Back in North Oak there’s this old abandoned drive-in theater. I happened to stumble across it a month or two ago. Took a quick peek inside, everything still works. How about it?” 

Judy had a pleased look come across her face. 

“Sounds fucking nova, actually. Only thing is, I get to pick the movie.” She smirked. 

“Deal. But before we get too carried away, I’m gonna suggest we keep our calendars open for this. I don’t think I could bear standing you up again, don’t think you’d let me either.”

“Ha, fair enough V. I guess you can give me a call the day of, I should be able to swing it.” 

“Sounds like a plan.” V smiled. 

They stayed cuddled on the couch, watching the movie until the end credits started rolling. V slowly untangled herself from Judy, taking a deep breath. 

_It's only gonna get harder the longer I wait._

“Judy, there’s something I need to ask you-it’s related to the heist. I wish I could put off asking you this to a more opportune moment, but time is of the extreme essence here. Will you hear me out?” 

“Okaaaay…shoot.”

“It’s about Evelyn. I tried calling her earlier, but she didn’t pick up. Have you heard from her at all this week?

Judy’s face instantly hardened. 

“I really don’t want to talk about her.”

_What the hell happened this week?_

“Listen, I need to find her, do you know where she is?”

“I’m warning you V- _drop it_.” Judy stated, a hardness in her voice. 

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, the TV had switched back to the local news. V tempted fate and continued to press the issue. 

“I just need to find out who she was working for.” She almost whispered. 

Judy took her time to reply.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it, nothing more. You know I’d never do anything to harm her.”

Judy sighed deeply, bending over and resting her elbows on her knees, hands clasped in front of her. 

“Fine. Evelyn’s a doll, used to work at Clouds. I have her cig case with me, it has the address. Take it. And once you find Evelyn, give it to her.” She took out the case from her back pocket, handing it to V.

_[Finally, some fucking cigs]_

“Think she went back, to Clouds?” V asked, noting the Megabuilding logo on the case. 

“She said it’d be safer there than at Lizzie’s. God knows why.” She paused. “When you find her just…let me know how she’s doing, okay?” 

“I’ll give you a call as soon as I find out anything.” 

“Thanks V.”

“Thank you, Judy. Sorry I’ve been such a pain in the ass today.”

“You’re a pain in the ass alright, but like I said, you’re worth it. Now as much as I don’t want to I gotta delta back to Lizzie’s. I’ll drop by again in a few days to see how you’re doing.” 

“Understood. Here, let me walk you out.” 

“Still chivalrous, even when you’ve been beat to hell.” Judy joked. 

V slowly got up from the couch and hobbled over to the door with Judy right beside her. She gave her another hug and a kiss goodbye (making sure to use only the right side of her lips). 

“Thanks again Judy, you’re one of the best people I’ve met in this city. Guess I’ll see you when I see you.” She smiled. 

“I’m just me, V, but I’m glad you think so. Like I said, I’ll drop by again soon to see how you’re doing. Try not to pull off any heists in the meantime.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally had V going straight into hunting down Dex, but she's gotta heal up a bit first. Who better to help with that than Judy :) 
> 
> Next time: Judy checks in again to see how V's healing is going.  
> Chapter 12: A Pleasant Surprise


	12. A Pleasant Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy makes another house call to V's apartment to see how her healing is progressing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another V/Judy chapter for you all, hope you enjoy!  
> (Yes, there's smut :p)

Monday  
  
J: [How ya feelin’ today?]

V: *Sends goofy selfie showing off Vik’s new meds and a burrito XXL rosado*

J: [Oh yeah, you’re fine.]

  
Tuesday

J: [You’re the only one I know that’ll truly appreciate this. Just finished writing some new software to go with the wreath you got me, gonna be able to do some next level shit now ;) ]

V: [Surprised it took you so long, looks like you’ve been slacking :p ]

J: [Yeah, slackin’ by bringing a certain busted up merc coffee to her doorstep.] 

V: [Would we call that slacking?]

J: [Absolutely :p] 

  
Wednesday

J: [The new soft is working like a dream! Got this virtu I’ve been testing it with, should have a rough cut of it done this week. Wouldn’t mind getting your opinion :) ]

V: [It’s porn, isn’t it?]  
V: [I hope it is.]  
V: [It’s sooooooooo boring just sitting here.]  
V: [I can only call and email so many people.]  
V: [I’ll take anything right now.]  
V: [Please help.]

J: [I can’t with you sometimes.]  
J: [No, it’s not smut. Sorry not sorry.]  
J: [Go read a book you gonk :p]

Thursday

V: [How’s the virtu coming along?]

J: [Should have it done by the end of today. Putting the final touches on it right now.]  
V: [I’m excited for you!]  
V: [Gonna bring it over tomorrow so I can check it out? :p ]

J: [I’ll think about it ;) ]

  
Friday Night

J: [Still at your place or have you run off to another heist?]

V: [I’m here, been heist free for ten days now thank you very much.]

J: [Haha, just checking. Mind if I drop by in a couple hours?]

V: [Not at all, look forward to seeing you :) ]

  
A few hours later V heard a knock on her door, a smile instantly forming on her lips.

_It’s only 7pm, she must’ve left early._

She walked over to the door, having chosen a simple outfit of red gym shorts and a white tank top. Her injuries appreciated the minimal effort required to put them on and remove them. She pushed the button and deactivated the door. Judy’s smile instantly greeted her. She was wearing a backpack and had a plastic bag in her right hand. 

“Brought some dinner, hope you’re hungry.” She said, holding up the bag. “Unless you’ve been living off burritos this entire time.” She joked, making her way inside. 

V laughed. 

“Nah, that was just Monday, it happened to come with Vik’s med delivery. Don’t worry, I’ve been sticking to healthier stuff this week, gotta do all I can to bounce back from…this.” She gestured up and down her body. “So, what’s for dinner?”

“Take a guess.” Judy said, holding up the bag in front of V’s face. 

V closed her eyes and took in the food’s aroma, then began to smile.

“Heh, I know that broth anywhere. Ramen. _The_ ramen! Thank you!” She took the bag from Judy and gave her an appreciative hug followed by a quick peck on the side of her cheek. They walked over to the living room, choosing to sit on the right side. V removed the two bowls and dug out the chopsticks from the bottom of the bag. 

“I know chicken soup is supposed to be good for the soul or whatever, but I figured this was a close second.” Judy said. 

“I’m certainly not complaining. Thanks again Judy, you didn’t have to do this.” 

_You’re too kind to me._

“I know I didn’t, but I wanted to.” She smiled.

They began to eat their ramen, catching up on the week’s events between mouthfuls. V was practically inhaling her noodles, grateful to have some quality food for once this week.

“Any luck with your paper pushing?” Judy asked.

V scoffed.

_I wish._

“The fact that I haven’t gone absolutely stir-crazy staying here in this room is an achievement in of itself.” She joked. “I’ve been reaching out to some other mercs as well as some fixers I trust, but I haven’t been able to turn up any info on my mark. No one’s seen this person since Tuesday morning. I even had a friend do a sweep of the No Tell Motel-nothing. Clouds seems like my best bet now. Hope Vik gives me the all clear tomorrow so I can start my own hands on investigation.”

Judy proceeded to imitate a ripper doing a visual look over. 

“I mean, it _looks_ like you’re healing up nicely. That and you don’t look like shit anymore.” She teased. 

V let out a laugh.

“Gee, thanks. Got Vik to thank for that. He’s the best at what he does, has some potent meds too. Also helps that I’ve been behaving for once and following his orders. At this point it’s mostly my head that still has a little way to go, everything else is pretty much healed or manageable. I can even do this…” She leaned over and gave Judy a full, languid kiss, which the other woman eagerly returned. “…and not have to worry about splitting my lip open again.” She smirked. 

Judy blushed at V’s unexpected move, briefly thinking back to their first kiss. 

“Yep, you are _definitely_ miles ahead compared to last weekend.” Judy responded, running her hand along V’s thigh. 

“Still not entirely sure how much I’m capable of doing.” She shot Judy a not so innocent playful glance. “But I’d guess it’s good deal.” She smirked. 

Judy slowly withdrew her hand.

“Just be careful not to start off too fast, don’t need you pulling something and shattering your ego too.” She shot back, challenging V’s smirk with her own. 

“Yeah, don’t think Vik could help me with that.”

They shared a laugh at their exchange and continued to enjoy their ramen. Once they were both finished, V couldn’t contain her excitement and curiosity for Judy’s BD any longer. 

“So, did you happen to bring that new virtu project of yours along by any chance? I was told there was an opinion you were looking for, and I just might have one for you.” V said, trying to keep the eagerness in her voice in check. 

“As a matter of fact, I did. Put the finishing touches on it this morning. There’s still a lot of interference and white noise, which would normally drive me crazy. But seeing as this is an experimental artform, I’m letting it slide.”

“You never did tell me what it’s about. I’m still assuming it’s smut by the way-which is fine by me.” She grinned. “But even if it’s not, I’m excited to see what preem new art you’ve been able to create.” 

Judy rolled her eyes. 

“Sorry, no smut. Hope you didn’t get your hopes up.” She gave V a teasing smile. “This is something else completely. I’ve been trying to combine two actors experiences simultaneously, create a single profile out of two data streams.” She picked her backpack off the floor and unzipped the main pouch, carefully pulling out a laptop and the BD that V had given her. 

“No way, for real!? You can combine them? That’s fucking amazing!” V exclaimed. 

“Heh, I wish. It’s not perfected yet, these were second rate BDs to begin with after all. I was able to tweak them so that they pretty much switch back and forth. Almost feels like you can feel them both at the same time in some spots. That’s the part that I still need to work on.”

“For you that’ll take, hmmmmmm.” V sat back and pretended to be deep in thought. “Two days.”

Judy let out a small chuckle. 

“You flatter me. I’m good, but I’m not that good.” 

“Come on Judy, if anyone can create and perfect a new way to utilize BD tech, it’s you. You’re gonna have this down to a fine science in no time.” V smiled, putting her arm around Judy’s shoulders. 

“Thanks V. It’s nice to hear someone genuinely appreciate my art, even when it’s not smut.” She said playfully. 

“I’m still a fan of that too.” V grinned. “Since we’ve established it’s not smut, what’s this particular virtu about?”

“As far as I could grab, a homecoming of some sort between a couple. Don’t know who they were or what their exact story was, but you don’t need to know. Their emotions are gonna tell you everything. Personally, I kinda like going in not really knowing the whole story, makes it more like a mystery that you get to unravel. You ready to check it out?” She asked, holding out the wreath. 

“Ready.” V replied, taking the wreath and situating it on her head, still careful with the left side.

“Just gimme a sec to load the soft and we’ll be on our way.” 

Judy opened up the laptop and began running the program.

“Alright, diving in 3…2…1.”

The white and red lights started flashing in front of V.

  
_At an airport, the arrivals gate._  
_It’s a woman’s arm that raises to check the time on her watch, 12:03._  
_[Excited. Anxious. Nervous.]_  
_She spots a woman exiting the terminal, bags in hand. She begins searching the area._  
_{Nervous. Worry. Hopeful.}_  
_After a few moments they lock eyes across the terminal._  
_[Relief. Joy. Excitement.]_  
_{Happiness. Closure. Love.}_  
_They run towards one another, locking one another in a tight embrace before crashing their lips together in a powerful kiss._  
_{[Attainment. Love. Want. Longing. Closure.]}_  
_They quickly make their way to the car, holding hands the entire way._  
_The BD skipped ahead_  
_They pull into the garage, forgetting to take the bags inside. The first woman let her partner inside the apartment first._  
_[Home.]_  
_Once they were both inside, they immediately embraced and began to kiss each other with a sense of urgently, there was a strong sense of passion._  
_[Desire. Ache. Love.]_  
_{Craving. Hunger. Love.}_  
_They made their way to the bedroom, stripping each other along the way until they were left in their underclothes. They tumbled onto the bed, slowing down a moment to take in the sight of each other, cupping each other’s cheek, smiles on both their faces._  
_{[Tenderness. Peace. Lust. Complete.]}_  
_The first woman straddled the other woman’s hips, kissing her again with renewed desire._  
_The BD ended_

V blinked hard a few times, adjusting to her apartment once again before removing the wreath and handing it back to Judy.

“Sooo, whatcha think?” Judy asked, eager to hear V’s opinion.

V sat leaned back and let out a deep breath. 

“ _Wow_. That was beautiful, so… _powerful_. I’ve never had a BD make me feel anything quite that real or intense before. It really did feel like I was experiencing simultaneous emotions at times-white noise and interference aside. You’ve really outdone yourself here, Judy. And you were right, I didn’t need to know the details, I _felt_ everything.” She leaned forward and shot Judy a side smile. “Also, you sure do know how to blue ball a bitch.” She chuckled, not entirely lying as the BD did leave a small impression on her.

Judy chuckled and blushed slightly at V’s review and couldn’t contain her smile at the positive feedback. 

“Thanks for your honesty V. I’m only a little sorry about the ending, I just tune what I’m given. This just happened to be a short scroll. I know it was rough and looked more like bad arthouse than anything, but it’s given me a good starting point.”

“Still, no one’s ever done anything like this before, you’re really onto something! And by the looks of it, it’s not gonna take you too much longer to perfect it. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.” She smiled, putting an arm around Judy’s shoulders once again, giving her a reassuring squeeze. 

Judy continued to blush. 

“Thanks V, I appreciate your optimism about this. I’m glad I have you in my corner.” She smiled, resting her head on V’s shoulder and wrapping her left arm around her waist. 

They sat together on the couch for a while, enjoying one another’s company. 

“What was your favorite part?” Judy asked. 

“If I’m honest, right when they got back to their apartment. That intense feeling of love coupled with desire-I didn’t’ know such a powerful feeling was even possible. I’ve never experienced anything close to that myself. What about you? What was your favorite part?” 

“For me it was when they tumbled into bed and were just lying there holding one another. And before you say some smart-ass remark, no it wasn’t for that reason, even though that part was nice to experience I’ll admit. This city can feel so damn lonely at times, and experiencing that shared sense of feeling whole and at peace, that was my favorite. I want to be able to feel that too someday.”

“Yeah, that does sound nice.” 

The conversation got V thinking. 

“I wonder how a scroll of our date would have felt.” V meant to think to herself but asked aloud. 

Judy turned to look at V, curiosity and a sly smile on her face. 

“How so?”

“Hear me out. You would have experienced three hours of my anxiety over choosing what to wear along with not knowing if we actually established if it was a date or not. Then there was us opening up to each other and sharing some deep personal stuff. After that, you went on to have the best ramen in NC for the first time in your life. That was followed by me feeling embarrassed about going all cyberpsycho on Maelstrom. Next, we took in one of the best views of the city together.” She looked at Judy, trying to contain the smirk that was making its way across her lips. “And then there were the… _other events_ that we did together. Bet there were some powerful emotions there.” She placed her arm around Judy, drawing small patterns on her left shoulder. 

“Hmmm. Not a bad idea, even if it is a bit too late.” She teased. “Think I would have split them into two scrolls. One regular BD, one XBD” Judy responded rather mater of factly. “I could have a lot of fun tuning the latter, amplify all the right… _moments_.” She said, a small wicked smile across her lips as she punctuated the last word. 

One word and she already has me going. 

V gulped, heart rate rising slightly and cheeks turning that familiar shade of red. She saw where this could go and was tempted to see if Judy would go along for the ride. 

“What moments would those be?” She asked, voice lower than normal. 

Judy’s wicked smile intensified. She placed her hand on V’s thigh once more, toying with the bottom hem of her gym shorts and drawing small circles on her left thigh.

_Looks like she wants to play along._

“Think that first kiss would be a perfect place to start. You’d feel our shared desire coming together for the first time, yet still keeping it restrained. It would linger even as we pulled away, craving more.” She leaned in and kissed V, mimicking the aforementioned kiss. “Kinda like that.” She whispered as she pulled away, leaving V’s heart pounding. 

“That does sound like a perfect place to start. What would you amplify next?” V continued, biting her lower lip as she moved her right hand to slowly trace the overall strap on Judy’s right side, briefly lingering on her breast before resting her hand on Judy’s right thigh.

“My point of view after you asked permission to fuck me.” She moved her hand up to begin toying with the elastic waistband of V’s shorts. “You’d get to experience just how badly I wanted you right then and there, how I was absolutely aching for you to touch me. I know that would make you incredibly wet.” She smirked, slowly dragging a finger down the front of V’s shorts, her motion having an immediate effect on V. 

_Damn, she’s good. Too good._

V let out a stifled moan at her touch.

“Mhmmm. Anything…else?” She asked, voice dry. 

Judy put her hand on the center of V’s chest and gave a gentle shove, indicating that she wanted V on her back. A devilish grin spread over V’s lips as she complied. Judy moved to straddle V’s hips, then bent down and slowly kissed along her collarbone and up her neck. 

“I’d amplify when you were fucking me with your fingers, telling me how I was driving you crazy and how I was making you feel. I would love to experience the effect I had on you. I’d get to feel how wet you were, how badly your clit was throbbing.” She said huskily against V’s ear, gently tugging on her earlobe.

V pulled her into a hard kiss, running her hands down Judy’s back before reaching her ass and giving it a firm squeeze.

“There’s a perfectly good bed over there you know.” V managed to get out. 

Judy did a quick glance over her shoulder. 

“Fair enough. You’re still gonna stay just like this. Don’t want you trying something and hurting yourself.” She winked. 

They made the short journey to the bed. V obeyed and resumed her previous position with Judy on top of her, appreciative of the space the bed allotted. She was used to being the one on top but figured she could make an exception for Judy tonight. They continued to kiss each other hungrily, their conversation having had an immediate and powerful effect. Judy sat up and grasped the bottom of V’s tank top, slowly drawing it up and helping V remove it so that she was left in only her sports bra and gym shorts. She admired the view of V’s toned body below her but couldn’t ignore the smattering of dozens of new scars and still fading bruises of varying shades. She spent some time gently tracing her fingers over some of them then slowly rolled off to V’s right side, her face having softened from the desire filled haze. She looked directly at the other woman, kindness and comfort now in her eyes. 

“V, will you let me take care of you tonight? She asked, slowly running her hand along V’s stomach. “But only if you’re comfortable with me doing so.” She added. 

V smiled at Judy, thankful for her respect. 

“I’m more than comfortable with you Judy.” She sat up and kissed her tenderly. “I’d love for you to take care of me tonight.” She whispered. 

“Would it be okay if I tried something new? Something more…intimate?” She raised a suggestive eyebrow. 

V’s desire reignited at the suggestion.

“Depends on what you had in mind.” She played along. 

Judy began to blush and briefly bit her lower lip.

“Would you be okay with me going down on you?” 

_I should get injured more often._

“Abso-fucking-lutely.” V grinned. 

“Nova. I’ve been thinking about doing this ever since North Oak.” The soft face from earlier was quickly replaced by a wicked smile and eyes filled with desire. Judy resumed her position on V’s hips, taking her time tracing the outline of V’s abs with her fingertips. She carefully removed V’s sports bra, relishing the full view of her chest for the first time. Her serpent tattoo was on full display, a heart in the center of her chest. She used her tongue to trace along the serpent’s body, starting at V’s right collarbone and working down to her right breast. She gently drew the sensitive flesh into her mouth and began swirling her tongue, reaching up with her right hand to tease the opposite side simultaneously, kneading and lightly pinching. V drew a sharp breath through her nose at the intense sensations, Judy’s touches already having a profound effect on her body, she could already feel a prominent wetness between her thighs. Judy continued to work the soft flesh in her mouth, gently biting and drawing upon the nipple as is reacted under her touch. V began to writhe slightly, encouraging Judy to continue tracing the serpent over to V’s left breast and resume her actions there. V ran her left hand up Judy’s back then tangled it in Judy’s hair, showing her approval for her actions so far. Judy decided to bite down slightly harder, drawing an unexpected moan out of the woman below her. V guided Judy back up briefly to kiss her, a hunger driving her actions. She tugged on Judy’s lower lip as they pulled away, her desire for the other woman on full display. 

“You’re quite talented with that mouth of yours” V said huskily.

“Wait until you see what I can do with my tongue.” She smirked, sitting up on V’s hips once more before sliding back.

V’s clit was already aching, but Judy’s words intensified her sweet discomfort. 

Judy tugged at the elastic of V’s shorts, inching them down slowly. V took the hint and lifted her hips slightly, allowing Judy to completely remove them. She sat back, surveying all of V’s toned and muscular frame below her. From her sculpted arms to her well-defined thighs, Judy was appreciating everything she saw. 

“Damn V. I knew you were hot but… _Fuuuck_.” She ran her thumbs over V’s hips and continued down her thighs. 

“I’m flattered you’re enjoying the view, but is that all you’re gonna do?” V was grinning wildly, thriving off of Judy’s reaction to her nude form. 

Judy snapped out of her trance and leaned down to kiss V greedily, showing her how eager she was to take care of her. She slowly slid down V’s body, maintaining eye contact as she made her way between her legs. V knew it was one of the sexiest things she had ever seen. Judy settled between V’s legs and hooked her hands over her thighs for better support before slowly sliding her tongue along her slit. Her tongue with greeted by a considerable amount of wetness, a consequence of her earlier actions. She slowly worked her way around the outer lips, purposely avoiding where V wanted her most. V arched her back as Judy made a brief pass over her clit. Judy moved her tongue farther down, teasing V’s entrance and earning a throaty moan for her efforts. V reached her left hand down to gently but firmly grasp Judy’s hair, encouraging her and showing that she was appreciating Judy’s talents. Judy suddenly plunged her tongue deep into V, making her cry out in pleasure. Her tongue began a slow but steady in and out motion that made V moan and writhe, grasping the sheets in her free hand and tightening her grip on Judy’s hair. Just as V was getting used to the motion inside her, Judy withdrew her tongue and slowly licked back up to her clit and began circling the sensitive bud. V had to try hard to stifle the sounds that threatened to escape her mouth, every flick of Judy’s tongue threatened to undo her. Judy’s heat on her core was absolute bliss, V could feel that she wasn’t going to last long with this level of attention. Judy continued to circle V’s clit with her tongue, seeing how much pleasure it was giving V. She began to lightly suck on her clit, making V bite down on her lower lip. She was only partially successful in blunting the volume of her pleasure. 

“Fuck, I’m close.” She managed to gasp out.

Judy changed up her tactics, once again plunging her tongue deep into V’s entrance while freeing up her right hand to rub her clit simultaneously. V let out a whimper at the dual sensation, reaching down with her other hand to grab the other side of Judy’s head and keep her in place. Judy decided she wanted to make V cum hard and fast. She fucked her fervently with her tongue while circling her clit with her thumb. V’s back arched and she cried out, holding Judy’s head in place as she came hard over her face. Judy continued to gently fuck her through her aftershocks, making V shudder. Judy looked up from between V’s thighs, wetness dripping down her chin as she grinned. She slowly licked her lips and wiped away the rest. She made her way back up to V’s level, laying against her right side. 

“Feel better now?” She joked. 

“That…was…fuck. I can’t even make a sentence.” V panted. She brought Judy in for a kiss, relishing the taste of herself on the other woman’s lips. “Thank you.” 

“Thank you, I enjoyed that as much as you did.”

“Speaking of which, would you like me to take care of you?” She grinned. 

“That’s sweet of you, but I’ll be alright. Tonight was all about taking care of you. Don’t worry, I’m taking a rain check.” She smirked. 

V put her clothes back on and they continued to cuddle in bed, enjoying the comforting feeling of one another. V couldn’t tell how long they rested there, she didn’t’ care. She could continue to spend all night like this having Judy by her side. 

“Recent events aside, I really do feel better. I really appreciate you coming over to check on me Judy.” V smiled, resting her head on Judy’s left shoulder. 

“Glad I could help. And I feel better too, got to show off my new project to someone that gets me and my art.” She rested her head on V’s.

“I promise we’ll be able to do more fun stuff like this together soon. Just gotta get some work stuff out of the way first unfortunately.” 

“I know V. Just be careful out there. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” 

Their fingers entwined and started playing against one another.

“Do you have to leave soon?” V asked. 

“Yeah, but I’ll still gonna stay with you a while longer.” Judy smiled. 

They continued to cuddle while all natural light faded outside and the entire city was illuminated in fluorescence. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to write smut after spending the last two days on an anaerobic glycolysis research assignment, bear with me folks :p
> 
> Side note: I was tempted for half a second to title this "Sexual Healing", but thought that was too cheesy, even for me.  
> We're gonna dive back into the main story next time since V will be all clear to go on the offensive. As always, comments and feedback are appreciated :)
> 
> Next time: V begins the search for Evelyn Parker, hoping she can provide a clue to Dex's location.  
> Chapter 13: Automatic Love


	13. Automatic Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V begins her search for Evelyn at Clouds

V left Viktor’s clinic, walking up the steps and back to her ride with an extra pep in her step. She casually slid on her black aviators before swinging a leg over her Arch and revving the engine, confident merc smile shining and back with a vengeance. Viktor had just given her the go ahead to resume merc work the streets. “Just try not to bang your head on anything or you know, get shot.” He had said. She sped off towards Clouds, hoping to find either Evelyn or find some information on where she may have gone. 

_Fuck it feels great to be back in the saddle._

She drove from Watson to the Megabuilding H8 in Westbrook, parking her Arch near the base of the stairs. She decided to text Judy to let her know that she was about to start her investigation. 

V: [Hey Judy. Just pulled up in front of Clouds. I’ll call you if I find anything on Evelyn.]

J: [Thanks V, I really appreciate it. Be careful out there.] 

V took note of the various Tiger Claws thugs that were strewn about the area as she passed the food stalls and continued up the steps. 

_Of course this trash would be involved somehow._

She made her way to the back of the building where the elevator was located, pressing the button for Clouds. The doors closed and she began her ascent. She began devising her plan for when she got inside. 

_[Calling it now, you’re about to either getting off or offed.]_

_Can you please be quiet, I’m trying to work here. You’ve been doing so well so far._

The gates opened and she exited to the right, continuing around the bend to the dollhouse’s entrance. She made her way through the graffiti covered hallways before landing at the reception desk. Her display went hazy and a red warning triangle appeared indicating an unauthorized scan was in progress. She was greeted by the receptionist. 

“Welcome to Clouds, where we know what you’re looking for. Would you care to jack into the terminal?”

“Looking for an Evelyn Parker. She work here?” V asked, leaning on the desk. 

The receptionist glanced up from her computer to give V an inquisitive look.

“Hmm…give me a moment.” She went back to her computer and performed a database search. She shook her head. “Evelyn’s not available at this time.”

“I need to see her, it’s important.” 

“The algorithm knows best. Trust me. It will choose a doll that will thrill you. Our dolls can change their hair and eye color in real time to look just as you wish” 

_This bitch. Ugh. The very idea of dolls makes me uncomfortable, not to mention the way they’re treated., This obnoxious pink zebra print they decided to put on the walls isn’t helping._

_[Fuck this, play your own game. Just go in a keep a low profile.]_

“Alright, fine. Let’s do this.” She proceeded to connect her personal link to the dataport. 

The receptionist went on to explain the process. V didn’t care, she already had her own plan in mind. 

“Now for your safe word.”

V took a brief moment to think of a suitable word, deciding to have fun with it. 

“Ramen.” She replied with a small smirk. 

The algorithm went to work finding a suitable doll for V, ultimately matching her with two options. She chose the female doll, Skye. 

“Couldn’t have chosen better myself.” The receptionist responded. “Skye will be waiting for you in booth 9.”

V paid the 500 eddies and started to make her way to the main floor. 

“Ahem. We have a strict no-weapons policy here at Clouds. Please deposit any and all hazardous items with me.” 

_Last time I had to leave my iron behind it didn’t exactly end well._

V walked to the lockers next to the reception desk, depositing her iron in the far-left locker before continuing on to the main floor. She walked around for a while, getting a layout for the floor, noting the VIP area entrance and the bouncer guarding it along with the various security cameras. Content with her surveillance, she made her way to booth 9 and slid the door open, spotting the doll already inside. 

“Valerie, right? I’m Skye.” She greeted, a sultry tone to her voice. 

“Ramen” V immediately blurted out. “Actually it’s Just V. And please, just drop the act now. I’m not here for a thrill.” She sat down on the bed across from Skye. “I need your help. Lookin’ for Evelyn Parker, know where she is?”

Skye looked confused and offended at V’s immediate use of the safeword, pulling her out of the simulation. 

“Wait a sec, that’s not how this works. You can’t just barge in here and ask me about the dollhouse, I could get in trouble. Please, just leave.”

“You gotta help me, please. I’m no threat, and she could be in serious trouble. Just wanna talk to her, find out if she’s okay.”

Skye hesitated, clearly torn between keeping her mouth shut and potentially aiding another doll. 

“Look, I barely knew her. And I have no clue where she is. But…there was an incident in booth eleven…with a client. I don’t know the specifics. Tom might know, he and Evelyn were close. He’s in the VIP area, room two. Now please, leave me alone.” She got up from her chair and leaned against the wall in the far corner. 

“Thanks Skye. And I’d appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone about our meeting.” She stood up and began searching for booth 11. The door parted for her and she began scanning the room, immediately noticing a camera situated on a tripod to her left and a case near the far right corner.

_[Do your thing Sherlock]_

_Blood, fresh. Not too much. Looks like a wound more than a kill._ She noted, looking at the floor. She walked over to examine the case in the corner, discovering that it housed a projection. _Let’s have a look shall we._

The red holographic projection suddenly materialized in front of V. Evelyn was sitting on the bed, leaning back on her hands. A man was down at her feet, kissing and licking with enthusiasm. Evelyn’s leg suddenly jerked and she kicked the man, sending him sprawling on his back clutching his nose. She continued to writhe in pain on the bed from some unseen force before clutching her head and sitting up again on the edge. She attempted to get up and leave the room but stumbled after a few steps. She reminded V of a puppet being dragged around the room before finally collapsing on the floor, still spasming every few seconds.

 _Cyberpsychosis maybe? Hmmm, probably not. Looks like more of a remote hack than anything, not sure how a netrunner could have gotten through._ She took a closer look at the head of the bed. _Should be a port right here for the doll to jack in to, but it’s gone. Why?_

V did a final sweep of the room, deciding there was no further evidence to be collected. 

_Now, time to head to the VIP area and find Tom._

V left Evelyn’s booth and proceeded through the rest of the dollhouse, noting that there were some window shutters off to her right. She smirked, a new plan quickly formulating. After checking to make sure no one was around, she activated the shutter and jumped out the window to the grated walkway below. She slowly made her way across the walkway, noting another window and door a few feet way. She did a quick scan through the window, spotting a thug preoccupied with a tablet. She opened the door quietly, sneaking inside and taking him unawares. A quick twist of hands and the man’s neck snapped, body instantly going limp. After checking his corpse, she located a VIP access token.

_Thanks choom._

She brushed herself off before heading to the elevator, taking it up a level to the VIP area. The doors opened and she casually walked in, perfectly playing the part of a well-off patron. Booth number two was the first one on her right, she opened the door and quickly shut it behind her. 

“Hi, ummm…think something might’ve gone wrong here. Not really sure, don’t have your details. Sorry, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. Sure your VIP card checks out?” Tom asked. 

“Relax, you don’t need any data, don’t need any detes. I’m not a customer.” V stated, Tom visibly confused. “Here to talk, to you specifically. Not to be with a doll. Tom, is that it?” 

He nodded his head in the affirmative. 

“Need to get in touch with Evelyn Parker. It’s important.” 

“You and me both. Tried calling her a bunch of times. No luck.” Tom replied.

“Mean to say she’s not here?” 

“She had an accident. Needed to go to a special clinic in Osaka…or was it Oslo? I think it was Oslo-for a new faceplate. Yeah, it was definitely Oslo.”

_Fuck, poor Evelyn._

“That accident, involved a client, didn’t it? Found blood in her booth.”

“Oh…you know.” He hung his head. “Shit like that happens here…sometimes.”

“And everyone’s cool with that?” V asked, a hint of disgust in her voice. 

“We get new implants, recovery leave and…well, sometimes even a payout. Now that I think about it, it is weird she went away so far.”

_Not liking the sound of this so far._

“Did she tell you herself she was skippin’ town?”

“Nah, just didn’t show up for work. Wasn’t picking up either, so I asked Woodman what was up. He told me she left, like I said.” 

“Where can I find this Woodman.”

“Probably got his feet up in the back office.” Tom pointed behind him. “It’s off limits to customers, just a heads up.”

“Woodman, who is he?” 

“Mr. Forrest. But everyone calls him Woodman. Never really known why.” 

“Okay, Mr. Forrest then. What’s his thing?”

“He’s kinda like our caretaker. Finds new talent, deals with ugly situations.”

_The fucking ‘caretaker’, of course._

“Got it. Thanks Tom.” She got up and exited the booth. 

V headed out to the VIP area noting two Tiger Claws within the perimeter. She hacked into the cameras and disabled them before heading to the left side of the room. The first thug was next to two S.C.S.M.s, V quickly subdued him and drug his body next to the machines and out of site. The other thug was standing guard by the door that led to the back office. She hacked into a nearby display and performed a successful Distract Enemies quickhack. After quickly moving behind the thug, she continued her stealth takedown streak and proceeded through the door. There was another room off to the left with a single occupant inside. V decided not to take any chances and neutralized him as well. She cleared the rest of the room and found another door tucked away in the back on the right. It lead her to a hallway with doors on all three sides. She decided to check them out in a counterclockwise fashion. The room on the right had an open window, which she took advantage of. The assumed netrunner was busy looking at his various screens, V silently took him out and logged onto their subnet, deactivating the remaining security protocols. She exited the room and went through the open door at the end of the hall. It was the doll’s locker room. V scanned the area with her optics and landed on Evelyn’s locker. Her belongings and handbag were still there. 

_All her shit’s inside. Must’ve left in a hurry. Sorry Evelyn, gotta take a peek._

V sat on the bench and started to search through Evelyn’s handbag, looking for any clues as to where she might have gone. A business card dropped out of the clutch, falling to the floor. V picked it up and examined the logo on the front-a large tri color sun that read SUNSET on the bottom. She flipped the card over and had to do a double take after reading the text. There was a smudged room number followed by a date and time. The date is what stood out to her-it was the day before she first met with Dex concerning the heist. She could never forget that day. Underneath the text was a simple letter-D.

_Motherfucker. Is that where you like to hide? The Sunset Motel? Thanks for coming through Evelyn, hope I can find you as well._

She took Evelyn’s things with her and left the locker room, assuming this last room would be Woodman’s office. She hadn’t even questioned the man and already she wanted to put a bullet between his eyes. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Woodman was sitting behind his desk reclined in a chair, not overly concerned with V’s intrusion. 

“Hey, no clients allowed in here. Be a dear and close the door on your way out, would ya. As you can see, I’m very busy.”

“Looking for a girl named Evelyn Parker.” V stated. 

“Got nobody working her by that name.”

_Liar_

“But she used to work here. What happened to her?” V continued to question. 

“Probably did what all the dolls try to do-found a unicorn to set her up for life. Eh, you can do better. Try Roxie over at booth two. Same heart-shaped ass. Behavioral chip will do the rest. Won’t feel any difference.”

_This guy is a sick fuck._

“Don’t have time for your games. Need to know where she is.” 

“We’re running a small circus here, case you haven’t noticed, not a missing person’s bureau. Lemme guess, you played with the doll once or twice and now you wanna run off into the sunset? Go down to reception-they’ll find you your soulmate 2.0 in even fewer seconds than that.”

_Maybe I can strike a deal with this fucker instead._

“Listen. You look to me like a reasonable man. I think we can work something out.” She tried to come off as approachable. 

“And you look to me like a psycho bitch who’s never been ghosted by her belle or beau before. But go on, I’m listening.”

“Know you guys got hit by a runner a while back. I can make sure that never happens again.”

“That so? Let’s hear it then.”

_Good, he's at least willing to listen._

“Tit for tat. Wanna be net-secure? You’re gonna help me find Evelyn first. That’s the only way this is gonna work.”

Woodman began to examine the fingernails on his left hand as he contemplated V’s offer.

“Alright, fine. I’ll lay it on you straight.” He got up and walked to his minibar along the wall. “Girl you’re looking for…Parker? She ain’t here.”

“No shit. Tell me something I don’t know. Like, where is she?”

“Think you know how things work around here, but you don’t know shit.” He proceeded to drink from his glass. “Dolls aren’t here to give you pleasure and satisfaction out of the goodness of their soul. They’re workers. Their job is to generate profit.”

“Let me guess, Evelyn stopped pullin’ profit.”

“No denying that, sadly for her.”

_They treat these people like fucking cattle._

“Saw what she did to the client. She get spiked or something?” 

“Whatever or whoever fried her circuits. It came from outside our subnet. They played their deck like a virtuoso. Her chip was fuckin’ rot, believe me. We tried to fix it, didn’t even come close.”

“Say it straight-what happened to Evelyn.” 

Forrest placed his drink on the table. 

“Got an order from up high to recycle her.”

“You killed her?!” V exclaimed.

“No. But I did find a ripperdoc who was willing to take a look. Said he knew something or other." 

Forrest’s narrative sent V’s blood boiling, she clenched her fists until her knuckles were white.

“The ripper-name and address.” She demanded

“Don’t know a last name.” He picked up his drink once more. 

“Don’t fuck with me.” V stated through clenched teeth. 

“I’m not. Goes by Fingers. Clinic’s some god-forsaken alley up on Jig-Jig Street. Wanna find Evelyn, look there. Now you do your end-how do we board up against hacks?”

V didn’t want to help this man at all, but he had provided details on Evelyn’s possible location, and she meant to hold up her end of the bargain in return. 

“You’ll need soft that’ll isolate chip and implant receptor layers from the Cloud’s subnet. At the same time, it’ll keep track and block any attempts to modify the core on the go.”

“And that means what exactly in human terms?” He asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

“Need SmartEye-latest version.”

“SmartEye, got it. And don’t come back here. Ever. While you’re at it, take the elevator. Quicker you’re outta here, the better.”

_I agree._

V quickly made her way out of his office and to the elevator, pushing the button for the ground floor. 

_[Doc Fingers on Jig-Jig Street. Sounds like a coed’s wet dream.]_  
_Eat a dick Johnny, this is serious._

She made her way back to the lockers, glad to have her iron in hand again. 

“A pleasant day to you. The next time you have that urge for Clouds-don’t wait!” The receptionist said as V made her exit. 

_If I ever come back here I’m burning this place to the fucking ground._

She found her way back to the building’s main elevator, taking it back to ground level where her Arch was located. Once she exited she called Judy to give her an update on what just happened. 

“V! You called.” She smiled.

“Promised I’d call, didn’t I?” She smiled back. 

“Just glad you did is all. So, manage to learn anything?”

V took a deep breath, her smile instantly fading.

“Evelyn’s not at Clouds anymore. Her behavioral chip was damaged. Apparently they carted her off to a ripperdoc that goes by the name Fingers.”

“Oh shit…”

“Know where to find this Fingers character?”

“Yeah. Runs a dinky chop shop off Jig-Jig Street. _Fuck_ , V. Guy’s all kinds of bad news.”

“I’m gonna head over there now to try and find her.”

“I told her to stay the fuck away from Clouds. Argh, alright. Later, V. Thanks for the update” 

_Alright, guess I’m going to Jig-Jig Street_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More main story goodness for you all, and I think it will be for the next one or two chapters. 
> 
> Next Time: V makes her way to Fingers' clinic. 
> 
> Ch 14 :The Space In Between


	14. The Space In Between

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V heads to Jig-Jig Street to find Fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spicy V is my favorite.

V mounted her Arch once more and rushed through the streets on her way to Jig-Jig Street, knowing Evelyn’s life could potentially depend on her haste. She found the pedestrian walkway to Jig-Jig Street, pretty hard to miss given the large neon pink letters that adorned the entrance overhead. She followed the blue neon arrows along the walkway, noting the excessive amount of sex based establishments that the area was known for. Two joytoys tried to interest her in a quick fuck, but V respectfully declined. Knowing the clinic was tucked away somewhere in the back, she crossed the small bridge to Jacked and Coke, leading her towards the back alleys. After rounding another corner and heading down yet another sketchy alley, she came across the pink neon sign reading ‘Fingers MD’. There were a group of three men loitering around the entrance, she proceeded regardless. 

“Hey, not one step closer. Here to see who?” The man sitting on the small set of stairs asked. 

_Don’t have time for these little shits, hope they don’t try to pull anything stupid._

“Kindly get the _fuck_ outta my way.” She replied. 

“Yo, you hear what this bitch said to me? Best watch your tongue!” He threatened, standing up to size up V. The man to his right also rose from his position.

“I’d day it again, but what for? Your little skull sponge can’t possibly get its grey cells around it.” She continued, annoyance in her voice. 

“Best apologize for that, bitch!” The man blocking the door exclaimed. 

_[That’s twice now they’ve called you a bitch. Are you just gonna let that slide or what?]_   
_Nah, fuck ‘em._

“Gotta be worth a damn to get an apology from me.” She spat off to the side. “And you’re trash, not worth shit.” She slowly checked her right side holster, feeling Overture’s reassuring weight, waiting for the opportune moment. 

“Nobody talks that way to Lil’ Loco!” The man on the left exclaimed. 

With cyber enhanced optics, V detected all three of the men reaching for their weapons. 

_Punks like this can be so predictable. Hurt their ego a little bit and next thing you know they’re pulling iron on you._

But she was faster, withdrawing Overture before any of them even had their iron at the half ready. In three successive shots the men had matching bullet holes between their eyes, the porch now splattered in blood and brains. She put Overture back in its holster. 

_Just had to do something stupid._

Noting the trash heap behind her, V decided to at least drag the bodies over so that they’d be out of the entryway. This was still a ‘business’ after all. After the third body was heaved into the pile, V happened to spy two windows on the second floor, accessible by an awning thanks to her reinforced tendons. There was a woman staring out the left window, but the right had its shutters down. 

_I wonder…_

V activated her double jump ability, catching the awning and pulling herself up. She inspected the shutter and gave it a quick lift, detecting a weak lock. She grinned and continued to give it a purposeful lift, raising the shutters with ease. Fingers was in the middle of working on a patient, but V didn’t care. She proceeded to hop through the window. 

“Wha…? What the hell is this?!” Fingers exclaimed, stepping back from his patient. 

Just as he finished his statement, Judy strode through the clinic’s door.

“Judy?!” V exclaimed, excited but confused by her presence. 

_Well this is a pleasant surprise, got my very own Mox sidekick for this gig._

“Now I ain’t never seen nobody cut a line like that before…” The patient remarked.

“Oh, you’re already here? Could’ve told me you weren’t a door person.” She smirked. 

“Get out of my clinic! Right now-via _the door_!” Fingers yelled before returning to his patient. 

V stepped closer to Fingers, arms crossed across her chest and a stony expression on her face. Her aviator sunglasses made it impossible to make out her true feelings and intentions. 

“Got a couple questions. Quicker you answer, quicker we’ll leave you to get back to your patients.” She stated. 

Fingers took a brief moment to consider. 

“Logical through and through. Impossible to argue with. You see, my patient here is likely to feel ever so slightly awkward if I leave half her face off.” He continued to work on the woman.

“Looking for a girl named Evelyn Parker. Know she came through here to your…clinic.” V said. 

“Yes, but I have a procedure I must finish. May I?”

_Fuck your patient-no offense ma’am._

“You can go back and play doctor once you’re done with us.” V replied. 

Judy began to walk closer to Fingers’ operating chair.

“Guess you’ll have to wait, darling, circumstances what they are.” He grinned. 

“My fuckin’ eye can’t wait!” The patient exclaimed. 

“There there.” He soothed before walking back to his sink and washing his hands. 

_This one’s about as creepy as they come._

“You Tyger Claws? Far as I know I’m all paid up.” He continued to wash his hands. 

Judy closed the distance between her and Fingers, crossing her arms across her chest, a mean scowl on her face. 

“We’re with the Mox.” She declared, making V grin. 

_Player two has entered the game._

Fingers turned around, slightly shaken at Judy’s revelation. 

“The Mox! Why didn’t you say so? What brings you here?” He started to dry his hands. 

“Already told you. I’m lookin’ for a woman named Evelyn Parker. Need to know where she is.” V said. 

“Step into my office, please.” He gestured to a door on his right, then began to lead them to his office. “Many girls come through here. So many. But let me put it to you this way-I believe in giving each of them the professional touch. Ask anyone!” They entered the office, which resembled a room at the No Tell Motel more than anything. He sat down in his half egg shaped chair. “I’m more than a chop-doc. See, I know what people truly want. To be flattered, praised, patted. To feel like…like they deserve it.”

_Why do all these assholes have to drag it out?_

“Enough of this _bullshit_! What did you do to her, you freak!” Judy yelled, pacing back and forth in an attempt not to jump the ripper herself.

“Now, either you put a muzzle on this… _creature_ , or put her down.” Fingers gestured dismissively at Judy with his hand. “It’s impossible to have a conversation with her around.” He replied casually. 

V snapped upon hearing him talk about Judy as if she were some sort of animal. 

“Don’t you _fucking_ talk to her that way!” She yelled, grabbing Fingers forcibly by his hair and dragging him out of his chair. She threw him down on the ground and knelt over him. 

“Suggest you start remembering all you can. Either that or I’ll make sure you _never_ forget my face.” She threatened, right fist already poised to strike. 

“Two beefers from a BD studio took her. Didn’t even know their names!” He exclaimed, visibly panicked after V’s swift violence. 

V gave him a vicious right hook, blood instantly splattering over his face and onto the rug below. 

“They mentioned a moth, of all things, virtus with the Death’s Head! Said she’d be good for the moth!” He blurted out, hoping to avoid another devastating punch from V’s fist. It didn’t work. V gave him another hard right hook, splattering more blood on floor and on her fist. 

_That’s for Evelyn and all the other poor souls who’ve had to resort to your ilk._

V slowly got up, leaving Fingers in a heap on the floor. She wiped the blood from her knuckles on her pants. 

“Need air, I’ll be outside.” Judy said before leaving the office. 

_Better give her a little bit of space after that._

V decided to hang back and search the office for anything of use, giving Fingers a swift kick to the stomach before walking out in search of Judy. She found her hunched over the guardrail near the stairwell. V walked over to her right side and joined her. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were gonna be here? I would have given you a lift over, probably would have used the door too.” She tried to lighten the mood slightly. 

“After you called, I couldn’t stop thinking about Evelyn. I had a feeling she wouldn’t be at Clouds, but I didn’t think she’d end up in a situation quite as fucked as this. Felt like I needed to go out and actually do something instead of just sitting back and hoping for the best. I just kinda went on an autopilot, hopped into my van and drove over here as fast as I could. You just happened to beat me here by hoppin’ through the window.” She gave V a weak smile. “I’m sorry V, I should have let you know I was coming’.”

“Don’t worry about it, Judy. I’m glad you were here with me for this.” V switched her position so that her back was against the railing, elbows resting on top. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

Judy sighed, visibly distraught over the situation. 

“Ev’s the kind of person that once you really get to know, you don’t ever wanna let go. I let her go back to Clouds. Coulda stopped her…but I didn’t.” There was disappointment and frustration in her voice. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll find her. I know it.” V tried to console. 

_I really fucking hope so._

Judy bent over the railing, resting her head against her forearms. V couldn’t bear seeing Judy this distraught. All she wanted to do was hold the other woman close and comfort her, but she knew Judy wasn’t in that kind of headspace right now.

“We’ll fuckin’ find what’s left of her butchered corpse.” 

“Hey! Keep it together!” V tried to encourage. “Wanna give up, now?”

That’ll bring her around. She’s not one to give up easily on someone she cares about. 

Judy waited a few moments before replying.

“No…but the only lead we got is on XBD. Where’s that get us?” She sat up again, turning her back to the railing and crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

“We also know we’re lookin’ for something related to the Death’s Head. Better than nothing. “ V replied.

Judy sighed. 

“I don’t get your optimism, V. Still sounds like a big fat nothing to me.”

“Death’s Head symbol bring anything to mind? Anything? Doesn’t matter how small.”

Judy closed her eyes and tried to recall something, anything. 

“This industry…I mean, market’s lookin’ for every kind of fetish out there. It’s cavernous. But an XBD outfit would be on the move almost always. Makes ‘em harder to nab, harder to sting.” She replied. 

“Need to figure out where they’re scrollin’ this suff. Gotta be a rat-hole of some sort, doubt they do much shooting on location.”

“Yeah, gotta be somewhere quiet, out of the way.”

“Could be we’d see something to point us in their direction in one of their virtus.” 

“Have to be real gonks to leave a clue.” Judy scoffed. 

“Everyone, everything leaves something behind. Just need to know where to look. Lucky for me, I’m runnin’ around with the best BD specialist in town. That’s an extra pair of expert eyes.” V gave her a cool smile. 

Judy briefly returned her smile before walking down the stairs. 

“Well, your BD expert has a better idea. ‘Pleasures of Night City’, a domain with its twin on the dark net. Every kind of thing goes on there. You might stumble on something useful.”

They made their way to the bottom of the stairwell. Judy paused by a pillar, resting her hands on her hips.

“Lemme think for a sec.” V said.

_I do know a local fixer around her, but I doubt they’d be much help in this situation. Should probably avoid them just in case, gotta stay sharp if Dex still has a hit out on me. Ah fuck, almost forgot about him for a second. Can things stop falling apart in this city for one goddamn second!_

“Dark net domain, that’s our best bet. Let’s stick to that plan.” She decided. 

Judy nodded her head in agreement. 

“Okay. I hope you’re able turn up something useful. I’ll wait in the van.”

“Nova.” V replied, proceeding down the hallway and back towards the alleyways. 

“Wait, V-before you go.” Judy said, gently grabbing V by the arm. 

V looked her in the eyes, seeing worry and doubt mixed in with the shades of hazel. Her eyeliner was slightly smudged in the corners. 

“If…if you do find what we’re looking for, I hope you’ll continue to help me track down Evelyn. I know you’ve probably got a million other gigs you’d rather be working right now, gigs that’ll actually pay you. Just know that I’d really appreciate you sticking around with me on this.”

_Fuck, do I tell her everything now?_

V took a deep breath and turned back to face Judy.

“You’re right Judy, there are larger gigs on my radar right now. Two as a matter of fact. Long story short, gotta track down and kill a fixer that put a hit on me, then I gotta find someone from Arasaka to jimmy this _god forsaken_ memory shard out of my head.” She said, pointed to her neural port. She started to walk back towards Judy, holding her gaze. “But those don’t matter right now, I’m gonna help you find Evelyn first. She’s the one in immediate danger right now, not me.” She placed her hands on Judy’s shoulders. “You’re gonna be the tech, and I’ll be the muscle. Together, we’re gonna get Evelyn back-alive.” She flashed her a kind smile. 

A smile spread across Judy’s face and a small tear started to run down her left cheek, leaving a trail of black. She embraced V in a fierce hug. 

“Thank you, V.” She whispered into her shoulder, then pulled back and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re gonna tell me more about those gigs later, yeah?” She asked, right eyebrow raised. 

“I will. Sorry, I should have told you sooner. It was just easier to focus on Evelyn instead of sorting out my own shit. After this though, high time I face it head on.”

“And you will, and I’ll help.” She smiled. 

V gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before exiting the stairwell. She followed the neon blue arrows back to the main stretch, heading down some stairs before activating her Kiroshi optics, scanning for a nearby terminal. 

Got it, off to the right.

She walked up the the terminal, casually booting up the Net. 

-PLEASURES OF NIGHT CITY-  
[DOLLHOUSES | NIGHTLIFE | BRAINDANCES | JIG-JIG STREET | |LOG IN| ]

V clicked the login tab, the breach protocol appearing in front of her

_55-55-1C, easy enough._

With the successful login, the screen changed from neon colors to a more sinister yellow and red color scheme. V clicked on the Braindances tab, scrolling down to the bottom section titled ‘Cyberpalooza!’

[Cyberpsycho hacks off his arms and legs, then decapitates him. Gallons of blood! The only BD of this caliber on the market! Gore. Pain off the charts. The loudest screams you’ll ever hear. Contact Psych0]

V shuddered reading the description but proceeded to click on the dealer’s contact info.

_Looks like this Psych0 creep is just down the street._

She logged off and proceeded to retrace her steps, locating a small freight elevator nearby. She took it one level down from street level to ‘Storage’. The doors opened and she saw a shady figure in sunglasses and a trenchcoat leaning against a half open storage unit just a few feet away. 

_[Does this guy really think he’s fooling anyone with that dumbass getup?]_   
_Heh, actually I think he does._

“Whaddaya lookin’ for?” The man asked. 

“Lookin’ for BD’s. A particular kind.” V replied

“Particular? You a badge?”

_[He’s the one that looks like a sad excuse for an undercover badge here, not you. I still can’t get over the trenchcoat.]_

“Gimme the best of the best. Ones with the Death’s Head.” V demanded.

“Hmm. Didn’t know I was dealin’ with a connoisseur. Death’s Head’ll cost ya, though.” 

“How ‘bout a discount for your newest customer?” She asked, putting on her best buddy voice. 

“Only give regular’s discounts. If you’re short, then fuck off.”

_Eh, it was worth a shot._

“Alright, lemme see what you got.”

She looked through his inventory, immediately spotting what she was looking for.

XBD: DEEP-FRIED DEATH’S HEAD MOTH

She reluctantly transferred over 1,000 eddies for the XBD, feeling guilty that she was helping keep this man in business. 

“Pleasure doin’ biz with ya.”

_Eat shit and die asshole._

V made her way up the stairs and began retracing her steps to the entrance of Jig-Jig Street. She spotted Judy’s van on the right side of the street, walking over and giving a light knock on the glass. Judy waved at her with a ‘come in’ motion.

“Hey V, glad you’re back. Lemme get everything prepped. You make sure the wreath’s snug on you. You’ll watch while I edit in real-time. The ol’ one-two.” She snapped on her wreath.

“Nova. Ready when you are.” V replied, putting on the wreath. 

“Want you to describe what you see. Might catch something I’d miss.”

The familiar white and red lights started flashing.

  
A man being dragged to a ‘runner chair, struggling to break away. 

“V? Editing mode’s good to go.” Judy informed. “Dig around all you want.”

She scanned the two subjects in view. 

“Poor fucker.” V stated, identifying the first man as the victim, a netrunner. She knew this wasn’t going to end well for for him. She scanned the second figure. “Scav-gotta be. No one else with that kind of fashion sense.” 

She played the XBD further until a third figure came into view. 

“Scav woman. Huh, who knew that besides choppin’ people up they were scrollin’ XBDs.”

A scan to her left revealed a slice of pizza.

“Mmmm, Buck-A-Slice, ordered recently.”

She let the BD run, watching as the netrunner was strapped down into the chair. A scan past the Scav woman revealed a lab suit. 

“Electric Corp patch on the coveralls.” She noted.

A scan to a desk on the right contained a cardboard box.

“Ordinary box. Decker, Tanaka and Rogers logo. Standard for a trash heap.”

She noted there was also a coffee cup on the table.

“Can’t beat that rich synthcaff aroma-cheap shit. Cold, too. So the coffee was cold, like, from the day before. Pizza looked fresh though.”

“So?” Judy inquired, struggling to see the connection. 

V tried not to focus on the netrunner as the Scavs fried his synapses and he screamed in agony. 

“Means someone’s grabbing Buck-A-Slice regularly. Which is not something one does for the flavor and fresh ingredients. Pizza shares its DNA with styrofoam, nobody’s gonna schlep across town for it. We’re lookin’ for an Electric Corp power plant located near a Buck-A-Slice.”

“EC used to have a big ol’ complex in Charter Hill. Buck-A-Slice checks out too. How can you be sure though?” Judy asked. 

“Call it merc’s intuition. Old Electric Corp power plant in Charter Hill it is. Gotta make do with what we grabbed for now, nothin’ else to garner from this scroll.” She exited the BD. 

“No time to lose. We gotta go there.” V said.

“Definitely. Ride with me?” Judy asked, a small smirk on her face. 

V put on her aviators once more. 

“Let’s get going.” She grinned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't know about you guys, but I love it when these two work together :D 
> 
> Next time: V and Judy go on a mission to rescue Evelyn from the Scavs. 
> 
> Ch. 15 Disasterpiece


	15. Disasterpiece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V and Judy team up to rescue Evelyn from the Scavs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there was a spinoff of just V and Judy working together, I'd play the shit out of it.

Judy’s van rushed from Jig-Jig Street to the old Electric Corp plant in the Charter Hill district of Westbrook, only about a 15 minute drive thanks to her lead foot. 

“Still can’t shake it…that virtu sample we saw, with the Death’s Head moth. I knew Scavs were fucked in the head, but still.” V remarked. She took out Overture and Dying Night and performed a quick functions check on both weapons. 

“I know, V. I’ve seen some pretty messed up shit in my line of work, but that scum’s a cut above the rest.” Judy sighed, gripping the wheel a bit tighter. “I just hope the bastards didn’t decide to waste her like she was just some joytoy. We’re talking about a girl who’s not only a natural at what she does, but who also has a doll’s implant. I mean, that’s not a package you find just lying out in the street.”

They continued the rest of the ride in silence before pulling up alongside a concrete wall next to a busted gate, the old power plant just beyond. Judy turned to face V, keeping her left hand on the wheel. 

“Aaaaaaand here we are.” She announced. 

“We goin’ in?” V asked. 

“Find us a way inside miss ‘ _muscle_ ’. I’ll hang back, scan the subnet-see if there are any blueprints of the complex lyin’ around. I’ll Join you as soon as I find somethin’. Let’s link on holo until then.” 

V suddenly had Judy flash in the upper left side of her display.

“It’s not gonna be pretty in there. Here, take this-just in case.” She handed Judy her original pistol, Dying Night. 

Judy took the power pistol from V’s hand and gave it a quick lookover, whistling. 

“That’s my baby right there, M-10AF Lexington. It's loaded with hollowpoints for extra punch and it takes no time at all to reload. She’ll take care of you like she’s taken care of me.” V smirked.

“My own genuine merc iron, thanks V. I’ll put her to good use. Be careful out there.”

“I will. We’ll link up again soon.”

V exited the van and began her assessment of the area. An oil drum had a small fire inside, illuminating a crumbling concrete ledge above that looked like it would allow V to circumvent the building’s main gate. She casually stroll around the perimeter, noting a handful of Scavs through the gates as well as a few security cameras. The building had a garage door, but V would only use that entrance as a last result. There were bound to be more enemies inside. She walked back towards the van.

_I’ll try the ledge, might be able to get a view from above and keep this as quiet as possible for as long as I can._

She hopped up upon the lumber pile next to the oil drum, hoisting herself up onto the concrete ledge, instantly assuming a crouch stance as she stealthily made her way across to the nearby metal platform. She peeked into the crumbling building to her left, noting a netrunner in the next building over. A look down at the garage door entrance revealed four Scavs standing guard, another two were off to her right. 

_At least seven so far, who knows how many more inside._

She made her way through the first building, carefully crossing the metal platform that connected her to the second where the netrunner was located. He was busy watching the news on the monitor in front of him. V snuck up on him from behind, dragging him from his chair and breaking his neck with a swift twist of her hands. She laid him down softly and listened, no alarm was triggered. She hacked into the laptop and scanned their subnet, deactivating the surveillance system after doing a quick scan of the inside. There were still at least three more enemies inside that she could see with a quick ping. 

_At least I don’t have to worry about some of these cameras detecting me now._

She reassessed the area, noting the changing enemy positions. A remote deactivation of the garage door enabled her to cut off the outside enemies from those inside, thankfully they didn’t seem too concerned. She noted a scissor lift farther along the left side of the building. 

_That just might be my ride up._

There was only one Scav in that immediate area, so she sent a ‘distract enemies’ quickhack to the generator next to some scaffolding. The next closest Scavs were facing the opposite direction, so she quickly hopped down from the upper level and cut through a small shack, closing the distance to the Scav. She silently dealt with him and dumped his body in a crate nearby. The scissor lift was only a few feet away, she activated it and rode it to the building’s ledge, hoisting herself over. The door to the second level was just ahead, she quietly opened it and slipped inside. She was now on top of the suspended walkway, noting the three enemies in the garage area. There was only one on top of the walkway with her, she continued her stealth takedown streak to three. She could see the way down to the sub-levels below her, along with another Scav. She waited for her to move to just the right spot before leaping onto her from above, drawing a knife out of her boot with enhanced reflexes and quickly dragging across the Scav’s throat, covering her fingers in hot blood. The last nearby Scav was slightly alerted by the brief scuffle and began walking towards V’s position. When she rounded the corner V quickly grabbed her and dealt her a similar fate to her companion. Once the garage was clear, she began to proceed down the stairs to the sub-levels. 

“Found a way down. You see my position?” V asked Judy over the holo. 

“Yep. Be there in a sec. Wait for me.” 

V went halfway down the stairs and peered down below to the bottom, ensuring there were no surprises further down. 

“I’m here.” Judy announced a few moments later, slightly out of breath after following V’s convoluted path to where they were now. “We need to get to level minus 2, bet that’s where they’re keeping her.”

They continued down to the bottom, V took note of the ‘Sector 1’ painted on the wall. They made their way through an iron barred door to an open room, clothes and trash strewn about.   
[KEEP DONORS SEDATED] was scrawled on the wall, V didn’t want to know what they used to write it. 

“That shirt…I know it.” Judy said through shaky breath. 

“Evelyn’s?” V asked, locating the shirt in question on the floor. It was next to a smear of blood. 

“Without a doubt.” Judy replied. 

They passed through another iron barred door. V could see another security camera in view. She hacked in and was able to spot two occupants in the room that was coming up on their left. She continued to scan through the network. There were two more Scavs in what looked to be the room at the end of the hall. Two more cameras didn’t turn up any further information. The next camera featured a dimly lit room with a bed. There was blood on the mattress and various bottles next to it, a camera on a tripod was nearby. V zoomed in closer to the head of the bed-Evelyn’s body was slumped against it. She had blood running down her legs and looked beat half to death, but she was alive. 

“I found her. She’s in rough shape but she’s alive. Only problem is that there’s at least four more Scav’s between us and her. Stealth is gonna be tough to keep up from here on out.” 

V’s update on Evelyn fired Judy up. V could tell she’d go in guns blazing if she let her. 

“There’s two in this room coming up on the left, same two from the XBD as a matter of fact. If you want, I’ll take the dude on the left, you get the chick on the right. You ever...y’know-snapped someone’s neck before?” V asked, half chuckling as she heard her own question. 

_Just the kind of thing you ask your crush._

“I may not be a merc like you, but I’ve done some shady business for the Mox before. I can take a bitch out if I need to, especially after what they’ve done to Evelyn.”

“Preem, it’s settled then. On my mark.” 

V gave the signal and they moved in. V took the man unawares and Judy successfully apprehended the woman, giving her neck a quick snap before dumping her body in a nearby freezer. V grinned in approval. 

“Keep this up and I may have to keep you on as my sidekick.”

“Heh, nice try V.” Judy jested. 

There was a door next to where Judy had taken out the Scav woman. V walked over to see if she could use her technical ability to open it. It was her lucky day.

“Well, well. Not bad.” Judy remarked, a slight smirk on her lips. 

They entered a passageway, a wall of pipes immediately to their left. 

“One sec. Got somethin’ that’ll keep ‘em busy. After that, we slip past ‘em.” Judy instructed, busy fiddling with the pipes. 

Smoke started to escape from some nearby pipes, the two Scavs investigated. Judy and V were halfway to the next door that would lead them to the stairwell when another Scav entered from a side room and spotted them.

“Judy get down!” V yelled.

She quickly fired Overture at the Scav that that spotted them as well as one of the distracted ones. She was just about to pull the trigger on the third when he suddenly sprouted three bullet holes in his back, slumping over motionless. V looked over at Judy, Dying Night was smoking in her hand. 

“Guess you were right, she will take care of me.” Judy smirked, showing off the pistol. 

“Something tells me that was all you.” V smiled. “Now let’s keep moving.” 

They made a right into the next hallway, a ping revealed two more enemies at the end, down a small set of stairs. 

“Careful, two live ones there.” Judy warned. “I’ll distract ‘em, you take ‘em down.” 

“What’re you thinking?” V asked. 

“Same thing as last time. Screw with these pipes, get some smoke going.” Judy busied herself with the pipes. “Show’s about to start. Find cover.”

The two main vertical pipes in the area below began to smoke and the two Scavs began to investigate. V leaped over her cover and threw her knife into the skull of the Scav on the left before moving on to snap the neck of the one on the right. 

“Beautiful.” Judy complimented. “It’s like you do this for a living or something.”

V walked over to the Scav with the knife in his skull and retrieved it.

“Eh, I dabble from time to time.” She played off casually. “Down this way, we’re almost there.” 

They headed to the right and down a stairwell that read ‘Sector 2’ with arrows pointing down, red light illuminated the hallway. They found a room off to the left filled with computers.

“Think that’s a maintenance room. See what I can stir up.” Judy strode over. She stretched her fingers in front of her before leaning over to investigate the system. 

“Nova, I’m gonna scout ahead and see what else they have in store for us.”

V entered the next room. A bruiser almost noticed her entrance but continued on his way instead. V didn’t’ hesitate and swiftly neutralized him. There was a laptop nearby, so she logged on to the local network. There was a message entitled ‘New girl’, she decided to read the exchange. 

From: Nadya Papayanova  
To: Kayla Suhanov  
RE: New girl

[So? Is that girl Dr. Fingers give us going to be useful for anything?]

[That chick is a bad omen-that’s all I’ll say. We should get rid of her ASAP and forget scrolling any BDs with her, because if word about her spreads we’re fucked.]

[What omen are you talking about? Next thing I’ll find you staring into crystal balls. What are you-my reincarnated babushka? I don’t believe you’re shitting your pants just because of some comatose girl. What are you on, hm? You know what-don’t answer that. Whatever it is, just stop taking it before your brain damage gets even worse.]

[Cuz like, you can tell she’s not from Jig-Jig! More like Clouds or even the Mox. And for the record, I don’t touch our supply and you know that. But there’s this corpo-I sold him some of our shit. Apparently it made him aggressive-smacked some joytoy across the face. He told me when it happened he noticed the shadow of Lizzie on the wall, the girl who started the Mox, and guess what happened? A week later he was dead. They found him in some backalley, tied to a gutter, suffocated with a stocking. It’s not like I was chooms with the guy, but still…that’s no way to go!]

[Who cares how you “go” if you’re DEAD? Decapitated with a nail filer or shot in the spleen-it makes not one difference. If it’s not the RPM then it’s the BDs that are fucking with you head, because your imagination is starting to get more whack that what we’re scrolling.]

[So you don’t care how you’re remembered? What if you die on the toilet, huh?]

[You fucking gonk get back to work. Don’t you understand nobody care about you? Whose fucking memory will you be in? You would barely fill up any space on my deck. You and your fucking omens.]

_Me. I’m your bad omen-and I brought the Mox along with me._

V continued to search the room, noting the operating tables and a subsequent corpse.

_Scavs…no matter how many you stamp out, there’ll always be more crawlin’ around somewhere._  
_[Figure you’ve made their acquaintance?]_  
_‘Fraid so._

There was a door just past the operating table, V tested her technical ability on it and was able to pries it open. She slowly made her way through, pausing to note at least four more enemies and another door at the end of this hallway. There was a Scav crouched next to a dumpster a few feet away from her with his back turned, she grinned. 

_Takin’ out the trash_. She thought to herself as she heaved his body into the dumpster. 

Focusing more on time, she decided to slip by the remaining three Scavs, making her way through the sliding doors at the end of the hallway, noting the ‘Section 3’ on the wall as she proceeded through.

“Close to the studio, I think. You find anything useful?” V asked Judy over the holo.

“Freed up the elevator. Should be easier to get out of here.” Judy replied 

_Thank fuck._

“You don’t waste an ounce of lead. I’m impressed.”

“Glad I can impress you both on the job and off.” V joked.

Judy laughed.

“Wait one sec for me.” 

A few moments late and Judy was back by her side. 

“Alright, I’m here. Let’s find her. Hang in there Ev.”

They headed down the hallway before holding up in front of a door on the left. V peeked through the window and saw a Scav milling about. She leaped through the window and slit his throat in one quick motion. She took a quick look around the room. It seemed…familiar, a dead netrunner next to the chair confirmed her theory. 

_This is the room from the XBD._

V shuddered before leaping back out the window and regrouping with Judy. They reached the end of the hallway and headed right, taking the first door on the left. One more door and they were through, V remembered the eerie purple and gold lighting from earlier. She sheathed Overture and sprinted over to Evelyn. 

“Just don’t touch her!” Judy warned. “If she’s recording, you’ll scramble her brain. Wait until I cut her link.” Judy moved over to the laptop and began to work on safely disconnecting Evelyn. “Grab her link and tell me when you’re gonna yank it. I’ll break the link at my end at the same time.” 

V knelt next to Evelyn and gently took ahold of her head, locating her neural link. Her eyes were half lidded and there was evidence of a heavy nosebleed. 

_Oh Evelyn, I’m so fucking sorry we couldn’t get here sooner._

“Alright, let’s do this.” V said. 

“Wait for my signal.” Judy instructed. “Here it goes. Ready aaaand…”

“Now!” V yelled. 

Evelyn blinked her eyes and slouched forward. Judy ran over to her side.

“Ev? Evelyn! You hear me?”

Evelyn let out a low groan.

“Ju-Judy?” She whispered, eyes still half lidded.

“She OK to be moved? No brain hemorrhages, damage to the spine?” V asked 

Judy continued to check her over.

“Doesn’t seem to have any wounds…guess we have no choice. Fuck, she’s gotta be seriously traumatized.”

“Let’s get her somewhere safe.” V said, carefully scooping Evelyn into her arms. 

“Fast, too.” Judy replied. 

“Which way?” V asked.

“I sealed the doors and managed to power the elevators.”

“Elevators it is then.” 

Judy went ahead to provide cover just in case there were any lingering Scavs. They retraced their steps back to the elevator and quickly made their way back to Judy’s van. 

  
~At Judy’s Apartment~

  
V was standing outside Judy’s apartment, leaning over the railing. She held Evelyn’s cigarette case in her hands, trying not to think of all the woman had endured. The falling rain outside felt refreshing on her skin. 

_[Come on, just one. Please? For me.]_  
_Fuck, fine. I guess I deserve one after all of this._

V grabbed one of the cigarettes from inside and lit up, drawing the smoke deep into her lungs.

_Damn, that actually does feel nice. Been years since I’ve done this._

She continued to enjoy the combined feeling of smoke in her lungs and rain on her skin. She glanced at her watch, 22:45. 

_It’s been an hour, I better check on ‘em._

V entered the building, making a left and opening the door to Judy’s apartment. She slowly made her way to the bedroom, hoping not to disturb Evelyn. Judy was leaning against the doorway, keeping watch. 

“She’s sleeping. At least, I think she is. Her eyes are closed and she’s not shaking anymore.” Judy turned to face V, arms crossed across her chest. “I would’ve already killed her by now if I didn’t feel so bad for her.”

“Has she been able to snap out of that trance at all?”

“Only a little. I’ve gotten a few words out of her, and she still reacts to her surroundings somewhat. She’s gonna need some time to get back to some resemblance of normal though.” 

_At least there’s still some hope._

“You’re mad at her, why?” V asked

“Because I was done dealing with her shit, all of this could have been avoided is she just would have _listened_ to me.” She let out a frustrated groan. “After we got back and you asked me to scour her behavioral chip, I wanted to flat out refuse. I really, _really_ didn’t want to poke around in her head. But I did, for you. I just want you to know that. The virtu I found…I need to show you.” 

“You know I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t absolutely necessary to help find out who was responsible for this whole shitshow. I know it was a difficult thing to ask of you, but thanks for coming through for me on this.” She placed a hand on Judy’s right shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I take it you watched the virtu already?” 

“Yeah. Had to wrestle to make sense of the whole thing. But I don’t wanna say anything and taint your perspective. You should go in with fresh eyes.”

“Okay, show me.”

“Gimme a sec while I set the parameters.” 

V hung back while Judy walked to the next room to set up her rig. She carefully sat down next to Evelyn.

“Hey Ev, how’re you feeling.”

Evelyn groaned and shifted slightly, V thought she heard her say ‘here’. 

“Keep hanging in there Evelyn, you’re one of the strongest fighters I know-and I’ve encountered some gorilla armed bruisers head on.” V was about to reach out and put a reassuring hand on Evelyn’s arm, but decided against it. “I’m gonna find out who did this to you and hopefully figure out how Dexter DeShawn fits into this fucked up puzzle too.” She stood up and walked into the next room to scroll the virtu. 

“Have a seat.” Judy instructed, already seated in front of her multitude of monitors. 

“Alright, roll it.” V said as she situated the wreath on her head. She noticed that the left side of her head didn’t seem to hurt anymore with the pressure the wreath implemented. 

“Data was in pretty rough shape-not all that editable.”

“No worries. Glad you managed to salvage them in the first place.” 

“Needs a second to load. Quality’s lousy, but I did what I could.” 

The familiar white and red lights started flashing, transporting V into the virtu. 

  
“Take a look around if you want.” Judy said. 

_Red skull type image being projected, is that an altar?_

V scanned the large hologram that was displayed. 

“Hmm, think I recognize these.”

“What are they?”

“Veve markings…”

“You familiar with them?”

“Not enough to know what they actually mean. Heard of who might use ‘em, though.”

“Who?”

“Could be the Voodoo Boys. But that’s just a hunch, can’t be a hundred percent sure.”

“The spine chillin’ netrunner crew? Hard to find, ‘cause they don’t wanna be. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

_Pacifica, that’s their turf down there._

V changed the angle of her observation to the left. 

_That’s Evelyn, and a woman is sitting in front of her._

V scanned the woman.

“Can’t see her face.” V remarked.

“Under normal circumstances, that kinda encryption’s easy to crack. But not this time. Whoever she is, she’s got serious netrunning skills.”

“That, or someone’s working it for her.”

  
_[Evelyn]: “What am I lookin’ out for? Every single piece of tech I see, security?”_

_[Data Encrypted]: We need a layout of the whole room. We will get everything else we need from the virtu.”_

_[Evelyn]: What about his messages?_

_[Data Encrypted]: Only if you can do it and be pa fè bri. It is the most important that he suspect nothing. Try to be your usual, relaxed self._

_[Evelyn]: And if he starts talking about the biochip himself, should I…?_

_[Data Encrypted]: Biochip? Where you hear this? That is not of interest to you._

  
_Wait…she was only hired to scan the room, how’d she come to find out about the Relic? This woman doesn’t seem too happy that she knows what they’re after. Fuck Evelyn, you didn’t try and cross these guys, did you?_

  
There were some scattered pamphlets on the ground, V scanned them as well. 

“Might not be important.” Judy remarked

“Maybe, but all of them are from Pacifica.”

_Called it._

“What now?” Judy asked. 

“Heh, looks like I’m goin’ on a field trip to Pacifica. Alright, think we grabbed everything, exiting now.” 

V blinked a few times, readjusting to the room in front of her.

“Woman who hired Evelyn…any idea who we’re up against?” V asked

“Your guess is as good as mine, sorry V.” Judy replied

“Now that we know what happened at Clouds. They’re the ones who tried to flatline her while she was connected to the Net. Launched a homemade nuke right at her chip.”

“So it was punishment? For getting played by her?” Judy asked

“She knew more than they thought she knew. Couldn’t let that go.” V revealed. 

“So that’s who she was running from.”

“Looks like Evelyn never told us the whole truth.” V smirked. 

“You’re telling me?! If I’d known what she’d gotten herself into…” Judy rolled her chair closer to V, facing her. “Argh, I’m so mad at her!” She slapped her right knee in anger. 

“Her only job was to record a virtu. Pretty damn amazing she managed to organize a full-blown heist. And swipe the biochip from under her boss’ noses.”

“So that’s where you came in, she hired you.” Judy realized. “And brought this all on herself. On you too. There’s one more recording, wanna see it?”

“Sure, why not. Nothing that can surprise me at this point.”

The BD was pretty straightforward, all audio. Evelyn was on top of a stairwell, eavesdropping on a man at the bottom talking to a woman on the holo. V couldn’t understand the conversation. 

“What language is she speaking?” Judy asked. 

“Dunno. My guess would be Haitian Creole if it’s the Voodoo Boys we’re dealing with.” 

“Didn’t I…? Wait, lemme see if I’ve got an auto-translator. In the meantime, you try to tune into the phone’s frequency, see what the other side’s sayin’.” 

V scanned the phone. 

“Got it. Give it a second…” Judy instructed, loading the auto translator. 

“Heard her mention Yorinobu.”

“Probably why Evelyn buried this recording deep. Caught another name…something like…Silverhand?

The auto translator finished installing. 

  
[ _Man]: Besides, she’s our best route to Yorinobu. We must take this risk._

_[Woman]: I wish I shared your confidence that Silverhand will lead us to Alt._

_[Man]: You have a better idea? Good, then if you’re done questioning my judgement, you can get back to work._

“Okay, Judy. We’re good.” V concluded.

“Alright, disconnecting.” 

V readjusted to the room once more, Judy slowly coming back into focus in front of her. 

  
“V, you got any idea?”

V gave a slight chuckle. 

“Remember earlier how I said we’d talk about my shit at a later time? Well, now’s a later time. The biochip we stole from Konpeki-it’s got Silverhand’s proto-engram burned onto it.”

Judy looked at V with a furrowed brow, confusion scrawled across her face.

“Engram…?” She waved her hands, inviting an explanation. 

“Digitized psyche, personality construct. Thankfully it’s not the full-blown deal or else I’d have a whole other person sharing my skull, who would probably try and flatline me too. Right now, that biochip is stuck in my head, merged with my nervous system.” She pointed to her neural port. “Anyone tries to jimmy it out, I’m dead. So right now, I’m stuck with a dead rockerboy terrorist that likes to provide social commentary on my life every now and then and encourage bad decisions. Also likes to insert his memories into my dreams from time to time. Let me tell you, it’s fucking _annoying_ more than anything.” 

V leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees.

“And because of said biochip and how Konpeki went down, the fixer who worked with Evelyn decided to put a hit on me, tie up loose ends and all that. And we know that the Voodoo Boys tried to flatline Evelyn too after learning she tried to cut them out. I know all of this shit is connected, it has to be. I need to find out Dex’s involvement with the Voodoo Boys. Found a business card for the Sunset Motel out in the Badlands, fell out of Evelyn’s wallet when I picked it up. Evelyn met Dex there the day before he contacted me about the heist. I’m gonna head there first and see if he’s still there before trekking to Pacifica.” 

Judy whistled, imitating a falling rocket. 

“Can you…give me a moment? Need to go over some stuff in my head.”

“Um, sure. Of course.” Judy got up and left V to process all of this new information. 

V removed the BD wreath and leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes.

  
_Dexter DeShawn. How the hell did you get in this position you son of a bitch._  
_Think V, what do you know about him?_  
_He left Night City a few years ago, only recently came back._  
_Why did he leave?_  
_Heard he had ruined half of Pacifica and made a lot of enemies in the area._  
_But then he returned out of the blue, a prominent fixer once again._  
_He contacted Evelyn, said Jackie and I were the ones for the job._  
_Is that how he’s connected to the Voodoo Boys?_  
_I’m guessing he eventually came crawling back to them, begging to get back in their good graces. He offered to set up the heist for them, so they gave him a chance- made him the fixer. They told him to contact Evelyn and set everything up._  
_Things went to shit, so he was going to clean up his end with me and Jackie while they took care of Evelyn._

_And now we’re here._

V got up and left the room, finding Judy standing in her kitchen. 

“Wait…you got any idea how to get in touch with the Voodoo Boys?” Judy asked, a slight nervousness in her voice. 

“Don’t tell me you’re worried about me.” 

“I just…I want it all to work out for you. You got a plan?”

V smiled at her.

“Kinda. Like I said, gonna head to the Sunset Motel first and see if I can grab any info on Dex. I’ll have to ask around and make a few calls concerning Pacifica afterwards. Voodoo Boys barely trust a stray cat on their turf after all.” 

“Well, good luck. Hope you won’t need it.” 

“Thanks, Judy.”

“No, V. Thank you. You’re a good person. Evelyn could never see what was under people’s skin. If she could’ve gotten to know you a bit better, then who knows, things might’ve turned out differently.” She sighed and looked down at her feet before looking V in the eyes. “You know, I wish we had more time together-outside of work.”

V walked over to Judy and rested a hand on her left hip.

“We will, soon. I haven’t forgotten that I still owe you one hell of a second date.”

“And I haven’t forgotten about that…rain check I took at your apartment.” Judy gave a slight smirk, which V returned. 

“All in good time. I’ll keep you posted if I find anything. Keep me updated on Evelyn’s condition, let me know if I can help in any way.”

“Will do V. Until next time.”

They embraced and came in for a kiss before V pulled away and left Judy’s apartment, making her way down the stairs and back out to the street. 

_Fuck I’m tired. Sunset Motel, I’m coming for you, tomorrow._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another dose of (mostly) canon story for you all before we go into another round of canon divergence :D
> 
> Next Time: V heads to the Sunset Motel to hopefully get some clues related to Dex's whereabouts.  
> Ch. 16: The Hunt


	16. The Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V goes undercover on a stakeout, hoping to hunt down Dexter DeShawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feels good to write a chapter that 100% never happened in the game, even if it did involve me staring at the wall for a few hours trying to come up with how exactly things were going to pan out. And just in time for Valentine’s Day! Even though there’s nothing remotely romantic about this chapter :p If you guys wanted some action before all the cute fluff tomorrow, here ya go.

V allowed herself to sleep in the next morning, rolling out of bed close to 9am. She took a much needed shower and began preparations for staking out the Sunset Motel. She quickly thew on a sports bra and some boxer shorts before grabbing a duffle out of the closet and heading to her stash room. She knew that this could end up being a multi-day job and planned to be gone for at least a week. She decided to switch up her gear for this particular operation, going to the center wall and pulling out the pistol that had until fairly recently belonged to the former leader of Maelstrom-Royce. It was a JKE-X2 Kenshin tech pistol, lovingly nicknamed ‘ _Chaos_ ’. She inspected it and checked the slide action before aiming down the sights. 

_You’ll do nicely. After all, why not have fun and be dramatic._

With a theme seemingly in mind, she grabbed a shotgun off the right wall-a Budget Arms power model named ‘ _Carnage_ ’. She glanced over to her locker where she kept a few melee weapons and proceeded to open the door, pulling out a regular wooden baseball bat. 

_Can’t go wrong with a classic. Still, feels like I’m missing something…_

She took a step back and stared at her cache, running through various scenarios in her head. Then it hit her, a wicked smile started to spread across her face. She moved a few boxes on her left before uncovering a large rectangular case with ' _Tsunami'_ stenciled on the side. She opened it and admired the contents inside before closing it again, slightly chuckling to herself. 

_Never know when this bad boy will come in handy._

With her iron squared away, she walked over to her wardrobe and began packing clothes. Once finished, she slipped on a polycarbonate tank and a microplate mesh jacket, clothing she had kept with her since her Nomad days. The jacket still had ‘ _Innovadres_ ’ embroidered on the left breast and the clan’s logo on the back. At the center was a chrome skull sporting a red glass infovisor. Two crossed rifles were in the background. 

_Might be considered an outcast, but I’m still a Nomad. Shouldn’t have any trouble blending in out in the Badlands._

A pair of polycarbonate utility pants and some biker boots completed her look. She walked over to the mirror and finished getting ready. Her asymmetrical crimson hair fell neatly to the right side once it was finally brushed. A touch of black lipstick and nail polish added to her usual amount of flair. 

_Lookin’ like my 17 year old self agin in this getup._

She grabbed her duffle and threw on some sunglasses before leaving, taking the elevator down to the garage. Keeping with the wandering Nomad getup, she chose her black Thorton Colby “Little Mule”, a truck commonly used by the Nomad clans. She peeled out of the garage, leaving Watson and heading east out of the city towards the Red Peaks subdistrict. 

An hour later and she was pulling up to the Sunset Motel, faded gold and blue hues shimmering weakly in the afternoon sun. V parked her Thorton next to the small concrete barricade on the left side of the motel. There were only two other vehicles in the parking lot, neither one was the limo she had ridden in with Dex prior. There were a few people loitering on the upper level and around the stairwells, Dex wasn’t among them. V took out the Sunset Motel business card that was in Evelyn’s handbag and flipped it to the back. The date and time were on there, but the room number was smudged beyond recognition. 

_Damn, that would have made this a whole lot easier._

She exited her vehicle and headed up the stairs towards what she assumed was the concierge, which turned out to be a diner/bar instead. She sat at the far left stool, enabling her to keep an eye on the entrance just in case. The bartender noticed her and walked over.

“I’m Noah, what can I get ya?” He asked, cleaning a mug with a towel in his right hand. 

“Hey Noah, name’s Tess. I’ll take a Broseph if you have any.” V replied, slipping into her cover identity. 

“Got plenty, coming right up.” He reached down to the undercounter fridge and pulled out the lager, removing the cap and handing the bottle to V. 

She sat at the bar sipping the lager, pretending to read the newspaper that had been left at the bar. Noah didn’t seem too busy, so V decided to chat him up. 

“Place looks pretty quiet, do the Raffens pretty much leave you alone down here?” 

“They haven’t given us some serious trouble for a while, we’ve been lucky. They’ll be back eventually, but this place has seen worse.” 

“Glad to hear. Nothing quite ruins your day like minding your own business then having Wraiths pull iron on you and try and klep your ride-trust me.” She grinned, taking a swig of Broseph. 

The bartender laughed. 

“Take it that’s what brings you here?”

“Heh, something like that. Need to take a break from the road for a couple days, stay somewhere safe-which I know is a very relative term out here.” She took another sip of her lager. “Have you had any shady lookin’ characters wander through here recently?”

Noah paused to think of the clientele that had passed through his doors. 

“Mostly just the regulars. People looking for quick hookups, Nomads such as yourself, and some mixed bag of business types.”

“Business types stop here? Heh, doubt it’s actual corpos coming through. Sounds more like gang activity, so you know that shit’s not legitimate.”

Noah put aside a glass and leaned in closer to V, enjoying their banter. 

“Saw one _big_ ass dude strutting around with a large silver briefcase a little while ago with some pretty lookin’ Corpo woman by his side, so yeah, I’d say your assessment is spot on.” He chuckled. 

V froze for a moment and set down her lager, quickly reestablishing her wandering Nomad guise. 

“Wow, that _is_ something. Bummed I missed out on a sight like that!” She played along. 

Noah picked up another glass and began to wipe it down. 

“Not by much, and you might get lucky-he still pops in from time to time. Must have a lot of ‘business’ to attend to.” He joked.

V smiled and downed the rest of her lager. 

_Could ask him which room he saw this ‘big ass dude’, but that doesn’t seem like a thing ‘Tess’ would do. She’s just a Nomad making a pit stop._

“You know what Noah, you’ve just sold me on stayin’ here. Got anything available on the first floor, say for about a week?” 

“Got room 1001 available, last one on the left.” He pointed in the direction of the room. “That’ll be 700 eddies.”

V transferred 1000 eddies to the bartender. 

“Sold. And keep the change-a tip for your hospitality…and _discretion_.” 

“You got it ma’am, thank you.” He handed V the key to the room then resumed cleaning the bar. 

V got up from the barstool and made her exit, casually strolling about the premises and scanning to see if she could get lucky pinpointing Dex’s room. There were 18 rooms altogether, 17 possible options. She spent the next few hours making mental notes of who was in each room, slowly whittling down the possibilities. Eventually the sun was began to set and she decided to check into her room and settle down. She grabbed her duffle from the trunk and brought it inside, hanging her clothes and splaying her weapons on top of one of the room’s two beds. She sat down on the other bed and lit a cigarette. 

_And now we wait._

  
Two days passed without any change. V was enjoying being out of the city for a bit, however she hoped she could catch a break on Dex sooner rather than later. She had continued her reconnaissance of the motel, narrowing the potential rooms down to seven. She had casually investigated the outsides of all of them, unable to decipher anything from the outside. She wished there were some cameras or something connected to the Net, anything that she could hack into and get a better view. Her search turned up nothing but vending machines out here. She walked back to her room for a small break, checking her watch as she walked inside-16:00. She decided to boot up her laptop and catch up on her email when Judy called her on the holo. V’s heart instantly sank. 

“Judy, is everything alright!? Is it Evelyn?!” V asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. 

“Relax V, everything’s as fine as it can be-all things considered.” Judy reassured. 

V let out a deep sigh, thankful that this wasn’t the holo she had thought it was going to be.

“What’s going on then?”

“Just wanted to let you know that Ev’s awake now. She knows where she is and she’s able to keep some food and water down.”

“Thank fuck for small miracles.” She replied.

“Heh, tell me about it.”

“We fuckin’ did it Judy, we actually got her out of there.”

“We did, but she still has a long road ahead of her.”

“I think I know someone who can help, her name’s Misty-runs an esoterica in Little China. I’ll see if I can call in a favor and have her make a few housecalls.” 

“You don’t have to do that, V. I appreciate the offer, but can take care of her here.”

“I know you can Judy, I don’t doubt that for one second. But Misty just has this gift when it comes to helping people through rough times. I’ve come to her on several occasions and walked away a better person for it. She can look over Evelyn and help set her on the right track while you get some fresh air every now and then.” 

Judy paused for a few moments while considering V’s offer. 

“Alright, we can give it a shot. It is to help Evelyn after all.” 

“Nova. I’ll hit up Misty once we’re done here.” 

V paused for a moment, an idea formulating in her mind. 

“V? You still there?” Judy asked

“Yeah, I was just thinking, sorry. Hey, now that Evelyn’s awake, can I ask you a huge favor?”

“Um, okay. What is it?”

“Is she able to talk at all, or maybe even just use a pen?”

“She doesn’t talk much, but I think she can write something down. Why?”

“I need you to ask her which room she met Dexter DeShawn in at the Sunset Motel.”

“Okaaay…gimme a sec.”

V waited anxiously on the holo while Judy relayed her question to Evelyn. A few minutes passed before Judy returned. 

“Took her a bit, but she was able to scribble down a number-2112.”

V punched up in the air in celebration. 

“Fuck yes. Thank you Judy-and thank Evelyn for me too.”

“Will do V, glad we could help. I assume you’re off to do your merc thing now?”

“First I’m gonna contact Misty then yes, I’m be off doing merc shit.”

“Sounds good, happy hunting V.”

“Thanks again for the update on Evelyn, I’ll talk to you again soon.” 

V hung up the holo and immediately texted Misty.

V: [Hey Misty, hate to just pop in and ask a huge favor of you, but it’s urgent.]  
V: [ I’ll pay you however many eddies you ask for.]

M: [V! This certainly is a surprise. Whatcha need?]

V: [Got a girl that I helped rescue a few days back. She got hit by a nasty cyberattack then got pawned off to some Scavs to be used to scroll some XBDs.]  
V: [She’s in fucking rough shape as you can imagine.]  
V: [I was reaching out to see if you’d be willing to make some housecalls for her.]  
V: [She can really use someone like you right now.]

M: [We can talk eddies later, don’t worry about that for now.]  
M: [Send me the address and I’ll check her out, see what I can do for her.]

V: [Thanks Misty, I owe you one. Several actually.]

M: [No problem V, you helped save Jackie’s life after all. Stay safe out there.]

V texted Judy to let her know Misty had accepted her offer 

V: [Just gave Misty the rundown, she accepted.]  
V: [I gave her your deets, she’ll be in contact with you soon.]

J: [Thanks V, I appreciate you looking out for Evelyn like this.]  
J: [Talk to you again soon :) ]

_Alright, back to business. room 2112. Here we fuckin’ go._

V left her room on the bottom floor and made her way up the left side stairwell. She chuckled when she read the number on the first door that she encountered-2112. 

_Above my room this entire fucking time. Granted, probably would have heard the bastard through the ceiling if he had shown face around here._

She quickly scanned her surroundings and confirmed no one was around to witness her next actions. There was a small gap in the curtains, she squatted down to the corner and activated her optics, scanning what little she could see through the tiny gap. 

_Don’t appear to be any traps lying about, that’s always nice. Last thing I need right now is an anti-personnel mine to the shins._

From what little she could see, the room appeared unremarkable. The only thing of interest was what appeared to be a shard on the dresser. She thought about forcing her way into the room but figured it would be best not to leave a trace of her presence. She moved to the side of the building, activating her reinforced tendons to boost her onto the roof. The room had an AC unit on top which V ‘gently’ nudged aside before dropping down into the room, Chaos at the ready. She quickly scanned the room, neither Dex nor any other surprises were around. She lowered Chaos to the half ready and began searching the room for any clues. There were a few sets of clothes-male and female, a half dozen cigars, and a few small cases of pistol ammunition. There was a charging cable for a laptop, but no laptop itself. She holstered Chaos and walked over to the dresser, carefully examining the drawers for anything useful. Nothing. She finally turned her attention to the shard that had initially caught her eye earlier. She loaded it and read the short message.

_Abandoned movie set east of Rocky Ridge._   
_Thursday evening._   
_Don’t forget the goods._   
_-TR_

A satisfied smile spread across her lips. 

_Thanks for the intel ‘TR’. I’ll be seeing you…_ She checked her watch-Wednesday _. Tomorrow._

She placed the shard back on the dresser and boosted herself back onto the roof. She carefully moved the AC unit back into place and made her way back down the stairs to her room. She spent the rest of the evening servicing her weapons, preparing for what would hopefully turn out to be the confrontation she had been waiting for since that fateful night at Viktor’s clinic. 

~The Next Day~

The abandoned film set was about half a mile south of V’s location. She decided to position herself on the north side, taking advantage not only of a boulder that hid her Thorton, but the overwatch position the ridge provided as well. Dusk was setting in, leaving a thin strip of sunlight on the horizon. V exited the vehicle and went around to the trunk, slipping Carnage into its sheath on her back and holstering Chaos on her right thigh. She reached deeper into the trunk and pulled the large rectangular case closer to her, opening it and gently running her hand down the length of the weapon inside. She had spent over a year gathering all the components necessary to craft this caliber of iron, but all the hard work and hours of modifying had paid off. The ‘ _Ashura_ ’ smart sniper rifle was one of the deadliest weapons in her inventory. She didn’t use a sniper rifle as often as her other iron, but it certainly paid off when she needed it. She pulled it out of the case and checked the slide action. V appreciated the classic bolt action of the rifle compared to the magazine fed operation of power or tech sniper rifles-this wasn’t going to be over soon afterall. She took up position on the ridge’s ledge in front of the boulder, sighting down and observing the figures in the distance. 

_It’s a movie set alright, and they weren’t lying about it being abandoned._   
_Three vehicles._   
_Three trailers arranged in somewhat of a horseshoe formation._   
_One, two, three…four people. None of them are Dex though._   
_Wait, are those…Wraiths? What the hell are you up to Dex?_

She continued scanning the area and observing the individuals below, not caring if she’d end up being out here all night. The sunlight continued to dim, eventually vanishing altogether. Almost two hours went by, the four Wraiths continued to do nothing of interest. V began to get slightly impatient. 

_Come on you son of a bitch, show yourself._   
_[Bet 500 eddies your man doesn’t show.]_   
_Come on Johnny, can you please be on my side for this?_   
_[I’m not a goddamn cheerleader.]_   
_Yes, I know. You’re a terrorist rock legend instead._   
_[Don’t you forget it.]_

The landscape was pitch black save for the spotlights that illuminated the set in the distance. V heard distant rumbling off to her right-someone was coming from the direction of Rocky Ridge. A vehicle pulled up to the set shortly after. V focused her optics on the vehicle, successfully grabbing a scan.

_Chevillon Thrax 388 Jefferson-limousine._   
_Heh, how could I forget riding in one of those?_   
_Glad you’ve finally come out to play Dex._

A wicked smile spread over V’s lips as Dex exited the vehicle along with a woman from the passenger side. They made their way to the others, a total of six bodies altogether were now spread in front of her. She didn’t care what kind of deal Dex had going on with these Wraiths, none of them were going to make it out of this alive. She continued observing their behavior. Dex had a large silver briefcase with him, which he set down on a table and gestured for the other four to investigate. 

_Some sort of business exchange, and looks like they’re pleased with his offer._

She scanned the briefcase’s contents. 

_Drugs-RPM by the looks of it. Why am I not surprised to see he’s trying new things after how Konpeki went down._

She took time to scan all of the Wraiths as well as the woman. 

_Looks like they’re only packing small time iron. Guess they weren’t expecting any trouble from Dex and decided to leave their heavier stuff in the vehicles. Would be a shame if someone were to come along and make them regret that decision._

V pulled the bolt back on Ashura and loaded a round into the slide, then slid the bolt forward to lock the round in the chamber. She got into a sturdy prone position and focused on the Wraith on her far left, sighting him in. The smart weapon registered his body, automatically aiming for his head. 

_Time to have some fun._

V took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, squeezing the trigger. The bullet vaporized the man’s head in a blink of an eye, V was already halfway through loading her next round. The three remaining Wraiths looked around in confusion, trying to figure out what was happening and where the shot had come from. V picked off the next one in line, his head exploding in a spray of red. Everyone remaining scrambled. Dex and the woman sheltered inside the trailer on the right while the Wraiths found cover behind their vehicles, frantically grabbing for their rifles. V sent quickhacks out to the floodlights to cover the area in darkness. She used four more rounds to blow out the tires on the vehicles, ensuring no one would be driving away from this. Content with her progress so far, she put Ashura back in the trunk and exchanged it for her baseball bat. She pulled Carnage from the sheath on her back and slotted the bat in its place. The power shotgun had five rounds in the chamber. 

_More than enough._

The Wraiths began to return fire towards where they thought the gunfire was coming from, it was difficult to decipher from the range. Regardless, V was long gone. She sprinted down the ridge, moving to cover the half mile distance as quickly as possible. She ignored the slight burning in her lungs, she was almost there. She came in hot from the left side and flanked the third Wraith, sending one shot to his chest and another to his head. Upon seeing the muzzle flashes, the remaining Wraith began to return fire, forcing her to take cover behind one of their vehicles. She waited for him to reload before leaping over the vehicle and rushing to his position, knocking him across the face with the butt of her shotgun before pumping two rounds into his chest. With the Wraiths taken care of, V turned her attention to the trailer that was hiding Dex and the woman he had brought along. She walked over to the south end of the trailer, noting two windows. In a blur, she blew out the window on the left and quickly exchanged the shotgun for the baseball bat and withdrew Chaos from its holster. With Kerenzikov activated, time slowed around V. She saw Dex at the other end of the trailer, hiding behind the woman who had her pistol half drawn towards her direction. 

_Fucking coward._

V fired three quick rounds at the woman, neutralizing her. Dex started to panic, cursing under his breath and fumbling as he raised his pistol towards V. He never worked a day in his life as a merc and it showed. She quickly closed the distance between them, holstering Chaos and gripping the bat with both hands, knuckles white with rage. She swung at Dex’s left hand with all the force she could generate, knocking the pistol out of his hand with a sickening crunch. He screamed out in pain and went down on a knee, clutching his ruined hand. She threw the bat aside and took out Chaos again. 

“No no no! Wait!” He pleaded, holding up his cybernetic right hand in an attempt to shield his face. 

“Blaze of glory, motherfucker!” She brought the pistol down hard across the back of his skull, instantly dropping him. 

V stood over him for a few minutes, chest heaving and knuckles still white around Chaos’s grip. The adrenaline was still running high, but slowly ebbing. She restrained Dex’s wrists and ankles, ensuring he wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. She grabbed the woman’s body and went outside, placing her in Dex’s car. She rounded up all of the Wraiths bodies as well as the briefcase, dumping them in there as well. She siphoned some gasoline from one of the cars and drenched the bodies. She stepped back and lit a cigarette, drawing the smoke deep into her lungs and savoring the burn it brought. She took a few more drags before flicking the butt towards the Chevillon, engulfing it in flames in a matter of seconds. 

_Hey Johnny, you owe me 500 eddies._   
_[Fuck, V.]_   
_[Guess I better pay up or else I’ll end up like these poor bastards.]_

V took her time making her way back up the to the small ridge, taking the time to cool down and stretch after the mayhem she had just ensued. She got back in her Thorton and drove it down to the set, parking it with the trunk facing the trailer’s door. She got out and rearranged her gear for the impending cargo. She entered the trailer once more, Dex was still out like a light. A small pool of blood was at the base of his skull. V decided it would be easiest to just drag the massive man by his bounds down the steps first before heaving him into her trunk. She was grateful for her enhanced strength, otherwise this feat would have been near impossible. Once he was loaded in, she went back to the trailer and retrieved her bat, a bright smear of red now shining at the end. She had almost forgotten that she had knocked Dex’s pistol out of his hand. She knelt down and picked up the pistol., noting ‘Dex’ in gold stylized text on the left side and something scrawled on the grip.

_‘Plan B’ Heh, how fucking ironic._

With the gear secured, she walked back to the Thorton, using a piece of rope to keep the trunk hatch secured. 

“Buckle up Dex, we’re goin’ on a little fieldtrip.” She smirked. 

  
V sped towards the southwest quadrant of the eastern badlands, Radio Vexelstrom making the drive more enjoyable. Halfway through the ride, she began to hear shouts from the back of her car. She ignored it and cranked up the radio’s volume. 

_I’m not your machine_   
_Not your virus to control_   
_‘CAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER_   
_But I’m thinkin’ free_   
_I’m unplugged but not alone_   
_‘CAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER_

The road slowly became less and less paved before turning into gravel altogether. V was forced to slow down as the terrain became unpredictable-this was the municipal landfill after all. She was finally able to find a suitable clearing and parked the Thorton, keeping the headlights on. She got out and dragged Dex out of the trunk with a loud thud, he was visibly exhausted after unsuccessfully trying to break his bonds during the drive. She gave him a swift kick to the gut before grabbing the knife out of her boot and cutting his bonds. He continued to writhe on the ground for a few moments before staggering to his knees. 

“Fuck Miss V, you’ve made your point. Now let me go!” He demanded, still clutching his shattered right hand. 

In one smooth motion she withdrew Chaos and struck him across the face, sending a spray of blood to the dirt. 

“You tried to fucking _flatline_ me you asshole!” V yelled. “After all Jackie and I did for you, after almost _dying_ for that fucking biochip-you sent a fucking second rate hit man to end me. Why Dex? Amuse me, please. And make it quick, I do _not_ have the fucking patience for you right now.” She sat on the hood of the Thorton, resting her elbows on her knees, Chaos still in hand in front of her.

“Come on Miss V, don’t act like you don’t know the dirty side of the biz. Sometimes you gotta tie up loose ends, and quickly. Arasaka was about to come down on _all of us_ -hard. Surely you can understand the position you two put me in.”  
  
V spat. _I fucking knew it._

“Couldn’t even give us the fucking option to leave Night City on our own volition, decided to just put out a hit out instead? That’s what I can’t understand Dex. Mercs that work at the Afterlife operate at a higher standard than just offing everyone involved when shit goes south. Unless you were operating on another set of principles...” She took out another cigarette and ignited it, soon creating a smoky haze in the clearing. “I’ve had a lot of time to think and process all the shit I’ve discovered these past few days. Let me take a guess here-and please, correct me if I’m wrong.”

V took a long drag before continuing. 

“The Voodoo Boys had your balls in one hell of a vice after they gave you another chance to run with them. They let you organize the heist-led you to Evelyn Parker, and you ended up hiring me and Jackie to pull it all off. Then the heist happened, and we all know how that went. The Voodoo Boys weren’t able to get the Relic and Evelyn dropped off the grid, so in their eyes you failed as their fixer. You decided to make a last ditch effort to appease them and offered to flatline all of us as some form of fucked up penance. However, you failed at that too. I'm still alive, so is Jackie. Even the Voodoo Boys failed in taking out Evelyn. So now you’re forced to switch to the drug trade and work with scum like the Wraiths because the Voodoo Boys are after you, yet again.”

V didn’t know it was possible for Dex to look any more terrified. He hung his head and sighed. 

_The Voodoo Boys must have done him in good._  
  
“I’m impressed Ms. V, truly.” He took a moment to compose himself, slowly getting to his feet. “The heist, the whole business with Parker-it ruined me. The VBs were my ticket back to the top of the fixer biz, and all the eddies that came along with it. I was finally back on top, _second_ only to Rogue. Since the heist didn’t go anywhere near as planned, they VBs blacklisted me-for good this time. I’m lucky they even let me walk away with only a large chunk of eddies as collateral.” 

V scoffed, not feeling any remorse for the man and his choices. She took another drag. 

“I’ve got another bone to pick with you Dex-Evelyn Parker. What do you know about her involvement with the Voodoo Boys? And don’t bother trying to lie to me, if I feel like you’re lying I can put a bullet between your eyes whenever I feel like it-don’t forget that.” 

Dex didn’t hesitate to answer. 

“Evelyn was supposed to contact you and grab the Relic immediately after you left Konpeki. I was going meet her at the No Tell Motel, get it from her, then transport it to the VBs. However, they had found out that she changed her mind-wanted to pawn off the Relic herself, go back on their deal and sell it off to NetWatch. Apparently she was gonna use them to get a new identity and a good chunk of eddies on top of it. Heh, don’t blame the bitch really, but she crossed the VBs and therefore had to pay the price as a result.”

V’s blood ran hot once more. 

“Oh, she _had_ to pay the price? Do you have _any_ idea what kind of shit they caused her to go through?” V stood up and moved slowly towards Dex. “First, they fried her fucking deck beyond repair and left her essentially comatose. Then, her _own employer_ pawned her off to a second rate ripper. That ripper called his fixer who then had her _sold_ to some Scavs to scroll some of the most fucked up XBDs out there. I was barely able to help get her out of that horror alive.” V was screaming by now, waving her gun in front of Dex. “You were complacent with sitting back and having everyone involved in this shit flatlined, all because you wanted to crawl back to some netrunner gang and make some fucking eddies. You couldn't deal with your failure like a true merc and took the cowards path instead.” She started pacing furiously. “You know what? I’m _done_.” She took a few purposeful steps towards Dex, Chaos leveled at his head. 

“Wait! I can-” 

V quickly emptied Chaos’s magazine into his face, rendering it an unrecognizable mess of red and grey. She turned and walked back to her Thorton, taking the fastest route back to her apartment. Aside from the rage that was slowly burning off inside her, she felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song on the radio is Makes Me Feel Better by OnenO & Perilous Futur  
> [Side rant: WHY AREN’T BEST SONGS ON RADIO VEXELSTROM AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY/FOR PURCHASE??? Kill the Messenger? Reaktion? Fuckin’ bangers.]
> 
> Phew, glad V was finally able to get one of her problems settled, maybe now she can have some Judy time :D 
> 
> Next time: V takes some time off then heads to Judy's apartment to check on Evelyn.  
> Chapter 17: New Beginnings


	17. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V takes a little break, has feelings, and decides to check on Evelyn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did I take so long to update? I tried to put feelings and smut into the same chapter, that’s why.

Between dealing with Dex and helping Judy rescue Evelyn, the past month had taken its toll on V. She knew she was overdue for a mental health break and made the decision to take it easy for the next two weeks. She messaged all her fixers to let them know she’d be unavailable (and also to stop letting her know when a vehicle was available for purchase). She called Judy briefly to let her know what had happened and that she was going to be laying low-but that she’d be back in the city soon enough. She took her red and gold Brennan Apollo motorcycle (the Arch was strictly for the city) back out to the Badlands, enjoying the comforting feeling of wide open spaces and relative quiet compared to the city. She linked up with a Nomad camp to the north, checking out the gear they were offering and inquiring about the latest news out of the Western States and Pacific Confederation. Other than the news of Oregon going through a small trade boom, nothing major seemed to be happening in the NUSA. 

_No new corporate wars, always good news._

After two weeks of camping out in the Badlands, V decided to head back to the city. She chose the route that ran up along the coast so she could enjoy the ocean view, even if the water was toxic. She returned back to her apartment, feeling like the small trip had done her some good, but she knew she still had more work to do on herself. After taking a few moments to put away her gear and grab a quick bite to eat, she drove over to Misty’s Esoterica in Little China. She parked her Arch outside the entrance and walked inside. Misty was busy at her computer but looked up as soon as V walked in. Her kind, familiar smile instantly warmed V’s heart. 

“V, good to see you again.” She walked over and gave V a hug, which she gratefully returned. 

“Hey Misty. Man it’s good to see you.” 

Misty took a step back and looked at V, her smile dampening. 

“You’re carrying around a lot of negative energy V, I take it that’s why you’re here?”

V blushed slightly from embarrassment. 

“Yikes, is it that obvious?” She squirmed slightly. 

“Mhmm. Could sense it as soon as you walked in.” 

_That's not good._

“Well, that’s part of the reason why I stopped by. Also wanted to get an update on Evelyn, see if you had any luck with her.”

Misty stepped out from behind her desk, hands clasped in front of her. V could tell she was trying to find the best way to update her. 

“Some, yes. She’s fortunate that she only remembers glimpses of the whole ordeal at Clouds and beyond, otherwise I don’t think we would have been able to make as much progress. Judy told her some of what happened to help fill in the gaps, but thankfully left out the more graphic details. She’s slowly starting to unfold from within herself, becoming more comfortable talking about her emotions-especially with Judy. It helps being in close contact with someone she trusts. The physical abuse she sustained will go away in time, but even with my help the emotional trauma she endured as a result will take much longer to heal. I’ve given her some tools to help work through and process all she went through, and she’s been taking my advice to heart. She’s a real fighter that one, I’ll give her that.” 

“That’s so good to hear Misty. Thank you, thank you so fuckin’ much. How can I ever repay you?”

“Like I said V, don’t worry about that just now. Besides, I know where you live.” She joked. “Now, let’s see if we can release some of that energy you’re carrying around. Here, have a seat.” She gestured to the chairs in the righthand corner of the shop, V took the one on the right. Misty lit more candles and some incense on the table next to her before putting on some soothing chime sounds. “Remember the breathing exercises I taught you? Start running through those.”

V closed her eyes and began to proceed through the various cadences, trying to focus more on them than the thoughts running through her head.

“Take a cleansing breath in…and breath out all the tension in your body.” Misty instructed. She continued to lead V though a session of progressive muscle relaxation while also checking over her chakras, starting from her feet all the way to the top of her head. 

“Hmm, your heart chakra looks a little out of whack. I can release it for you, but you’ll need to watch out for negative energy fields-avoid mean reds, anything red.”

V chuckled. 

“Does that mean I have to dye my hair a different color?” She said, pointing to her crimson hue. 

“Probably wouldn’t hurt V, just sayin’. Red is a very aggressive color, you should try something more calming.”

_Like green, or maybe even pink._

“Eh, guess a little makeover can’t hurt.” 

Misty resumed her work, helping to slowly release the physical tension that had accumulated in V’s muscles. 

_Fuck, I had no idea I was this tense. Glad I decided to stop by._

V was starting to feel better physically, but there was still the emotional component she needed to face before she felt a more complete sense of ease. Misty stood up and took a step back from V after finishing the treatment. 

“Now that we’ve got your body sorted out, let’s get to work on your head. Follow me.”

Misty started to head out through the back door, moving towards the elevator that was situated between her shop and Vik’s clinic.   
  
“Why can’t we just do it here? Where are you taking me?” V inquired, getting up from the chair and following Misty. 

“You’ll see, it’s not that far. It’s a place I take Jackie from time to time when he’s going through an especially rough patch. Push the button for the top floor.” Misty instructed. 

V pushed the button and the elevator began its assent to the top floor.

“Jackie had the same pensive face last time I brought him up here. ‘This is it chica, I’m done for’.” Misty quoted. 

“Doesn’t sound like the Jackie I roll with.” 

“It was a long time ago. His mom had just found out he’d signed up with the Valentinos. Having Señora Welles on one shoulder and your choombas on the other-no choice really seems like the right one.”

The elevator doors opened and they headed left, following the dingy hallway to the stairs that led towards the roof. 

“Life hasn’t been the easiest for my Jackie, but he finds the courage to bet on himself. And you can too, V.”

_[Ah, that’s more like it. Air. Too much of that incense crap down there.]_  
_You just don’t appreciate eucalyptus._

“After that, I brought him here.” She gestured to the roof’s makeshift hangout. 

A faint red glow covered the area. There were two plastic lawn chairs overlooking the city, one red and one blue. Following Misty’s advice from earlier, V sat in the blue one on the left. 

“See that?” Misty asked, pointing to the city’s landscape in front of them. “I come here when I need to get away, be alone with my thoughts.”

“Thanks Misty. You were right, preem spot.” V proceeded to prop her feet on the ledge. “So, what did Jackie decide up here?

“Oh, you know, ‘Gonna be a legend in this city!’” 

V chuckled slightly. 

“Well, he wasn’t too far off. Even though he’s still staying safe in San Francisco I still hear his name whispered on the streets from time to time. The heist definitely upped our street cred a few notches.” She smiled. 

Talking about Jackie helped distract V from the pressing thoughts in her head, albeit briefly. She soon felt the anxiety seeping back into her and began tapping her left foot unconsciously. 

“Mind if I smoke?” V asked.

“Whatever makes you comfortable V. I brought you here so that you’d feel free to speak whatever’s on your mind.” 

She brought out her lighter and lit the cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth. 

“As you can see, I’ve taken up smoking again. Haven’t had a drag since 2066, but now here I am-right back at it.” She waved the cigarette. 

“What made you start in the first place?”

“You know, the usual. Peer pressure and stress.” V joked. “It’s the latter that’s been getting to me recently, so I caved.” 

“You’ve been been doing the same types of gigs for a decade V, why the sudden change?” 

V had to pause and come to terms with what had made her behave this way. Sure there had been the heist, and subsequent dealings with Dex and Evelyn hadn’t helped, but she could normally bounce back from a difficult gig in under a week. And the biochip-more of an occasional annoyance than a major stressor at this point (okay maybe Johnny gave her that push she was looking for too). V knew exactly what it was, she was just afraid to admit it out loud. Speaking it would make it true. She took a long drag and exhaled slowly. 

“That’s right, ten years I’ve been working as a merc in this city. It’s been a constant cycle of imminent death and danger, which I’ve learned to live with. Then I ended up meeting someone in the middle of a gig.” _It started with a smile_. “She makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.” A small smile started to spread across her face. “When it’s just the two of us together, I can’t help but shake the feeling that she’s showing me glimpses into how my life is supposed to be-a life where I’m not risking my neck every other night and I can just sit back and enjoy having another person in my life.” She paused. Briefly. “And I like her Misty, I _really_ like her.”

Misty tried to remain professional and hide the smile spreading across her face. 

“It’s nothing serious right now. I mean, sure we’ve already been um…intimate, and there are definitely some mutual feelings. I’m just scared that there’s a chance that it’s all fleeting. Life just keeps fuckin’ getting in the way, postponing plans and the like. We’re able to spend some quality time together and then the next thing I know, I’m either working the next two weeks straight or I’m only with her to help on a job.” 

Misty reached over to put a reassuring hand on V’s knee. 

“Falling in love is hard, I know. I consider myself extremely lucky to have found Jackie after all. Genuine romance and warmth are difficult to come by in this city. People are usually together either for convenience or just to make some extra eddies. And unfortunately, your line of work only compounds the difficulty of it all. Still, it doesn’t make it impossible.”

Misty’s words stung, but V appreciated the candor. 

“Ever since we went on our first date, I haven’t been able to shake just how comfortable and happy I felt. And the best part is, she seemed to feel the same way. We were able to talk to each other like people who have known each other for years. She even wants to get the hell out of the city same as me.” V began to smile wider. “And she has such a kind heart, reminds me a lot of you in that respect.” V took another long drag, exhaling through her nostrils. 

“So, what’s the best way to say ‘Hey, I think you and I have something special, maybe we are meant to be together’. Or maybe ‘I think I’m falling in love with you despite barely knowing you for more than two months?’ How does one convey that? I feel like my emotions are moving way too fast, but then again maybe they aren’t. Am I reading too much into things?” V grabbed her head on both sides and groaned in frustration. “Fuck Misty, she’s always on my mind in some way or another. I just wish there was some way we could have a shot at a normal relationship.” 

Misty withdrew her hand from V’s knee and crossed her arms across her chest, a smirk playing across her lips. 

“Who’s to say you don’t already have one?” 

Misty’s reply caught her off guard. V turned to face her, an eyebrow raised in suspicion. 

“Have you told her any of this?” Misty continued. 

“No, not really. But I want to. I have a date more or less planned out, just haven’t been able to go through with it due to the whole thing with Dex. But now, now there’s actually time.”

_Which is so bizarre to finally accept._

“I just don’t want to somehow fuck up what we have already, y’know?” 

“It’s normal to feel that way V, trying to build a relationship isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Try to take solace in your past encounters together, read the signs. Heck, even I could notice how much she cares about you when I went over to help Evelyn. Have faith V, and the rest will follow.” She gave V a reassuring smile before getting up and heading back to the elevator. 

“Now go take that girl on that date already!” She called out from over her shoulder before disappearing into the hallway. 

V smiled, her anxiety having practically melted away after speaking her mind to Misty. She enjoyed the view from the roof for a while longer before making her way downstairs. She mounted her Arch once more and set out towards Charter St. After a brief ride V parked her Arch behind Judy’s apartment and continued her way up the stairs to the back entrance. She activated the call button on the outside of the door.

“Who is it?” Judy asked through the intercom.

“You’re favorite merc, who else?” V playfully replied.

The door suddenly deactivated. Judy walked over and leaned against the doorway, arms crossed across her chest. 

“I didn’t know mercs made house calls too.” She smiled before leaning in to give V a quick hug. “It’s good to see you again, how’re you feeling?”

V pulled away but still held onto Judy’s arms a moment longer before letting go. 

“Amazing for once, actually. Just got back from Misty’s, figured I’d swing by and check on you and Evelyn since I was already out and about.” 

“Hey V.” Evelyn waved from Judy’s sofa. Physically, she looked markedly improved from when V last saw her, hardly any bruising left on her. She hoped that Evelyn had been able to make strides in healing emotionally as well. 

“Evelyn! Nice to see you up and about. How’s Misty been treating you?”

Evelyn put down the book she had been reading. 

“She’s been wonderful V, I’ve never met someone quite as kind and nurturing as her. Thank you again for recommending her. Oh, and Viktor came by with her on the first visit to take a look at my deck. Unfortunately, it can’t be repaired to the state it was before the attack, but as you can see he was able to pull off a small miracle getting me to where I am now.” 

“That’s amazing! I’ll have to make sure to send Vik a thank you as well.” 

V was overjoyed at seeing Evelyn miles ahead from where she was. But seeing Judy genuinely happy again made her heart soar. 

“V, mind if we talk for a bit-outside?” Judy asked. 

“Um, sure. Excuse me Evelyn.”

V and Judy exited the apartment, taking the next door on the right to the apartment’s rear stairwell outside. They proceeded to lean on the railing, V unconsciously grabbed Evelyn’s cigarette case for a smoke before closing the case. 

“Sorry, bad habit I’ve picked up again.” She said, making to place the case back in her pocket. 

Judy held out her hand, requesting the case from V. She opened it back up and took out two cigarettes, handing one to V. 

“Should probably give this back to Evelyn, so enjoy these while you can.” She teased before withdrawing a lighter from her overalls and lighting both of their cigarettes. 

“Didn’t know you smoked.” V stated.

“I usually don’t. But, I like to live a little from time to time.” She smirked. “Plus, I may have this stupid weakness for girls that smoke. And yes, I know it’s a horrible habit.” 

“The weakness for girls or the smoking.” V joked.

“Both. Smartass.” She bumped her hip into V’s, making the other woman stagger slightly. 

“Anyways. I wanted to talk to you, about Evelyn.” She took a drag of her cigarette. “I reached out to my grandparents out in Oregon. They’re willing to let her stay with them for a while. I figured it would be a good idea to get her out of the city, help her begin a new life. I asked her if she’d take up my offer a few days ago, but she still hasn’t given me an answer.”

V was just as surprised as Judy at Evelyn’s lack of response. 

“I mean, that sounds like a great idea. Wonder why she hasn’t jumped on it yet.”

“Probably the same reason as me, still feels like she needs to accomplish something before leaving. Even after all the shit she’s been through, she's still not satisfied with what she's done.”

“But…she already did accomplish something. Does she not remember the whole ‘get involved in a heist and fuck over a netrunner gang’ thing?” 

Judy let out a small laugh. 

“She does, but it’s more personal than that. She’s got a grudge against Clouds, and I don’t fuckin’ blame her.” She paused and took a long drag, taking her time to exhale. “I did some more digging around in her head. Fuck V, the things I found. Woodman…he-”

“You don’t have to finish that.” V interrupted. 

“Can you talk to her? Try and convince her that she’s done more than enough, that it’s time for her to leave this shit behind and start fresh like she’s been wanting to.” 

“I’ll try and see what I can do.” V replied. 

V finished her cigarette before walking back inside the apartment. Evelyn was reading her book again, unaware of V’s return. 

“Mind if I join you?”

Evelyn looked up from her book. 

“Sure thing V.”

"Got something of yours, figured you'd want it back." She handed Evelyn her cigarette case. 

"Keep it, as a small token of my thanks for all you've done." She smiled. 

"You sure? It's a nice case." V tried to tease.

"Yes, I'm sure. Plus, I'd rather not have any memorabilia from the Megabuiding."

"Fair enough." V replied. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what's on your mind?”

“Why’d you decide to cross the Voodoo Boys? No offense, but that was a pretty stupid move.” 

Evelyn let out a small chuckle. 

“Trust me, it wasn’t the original plan. Long story short, I found out they were attempting to breach the Blackwall with the Relic, wanted to contact this ‘Alt’ character. The idea of them breaching the one thing that that keeps all the dangerous rouge AI and other shit out of the Net was… unsettling to say the least. You know as much as I do the amount of damage they could inflict on this city, maybe even the rest of the NUSA with malware like that. I couldn’t just step aside and let that happen-I wouldn’t. So, I decided to strike a deal with NetWatch instead, and I got fried for it.” 

_The more I hear about the Voodoo Boys, the less I’m inclined to work with them. Especially after learning about this shit. Fuckin’ ‘runners._

“Fuck me, when you put it that way it wasn’t a stupid move at all. Risky of course, but not stupid. But why did you keep it all to yourself? Why not tell Judy, or even me?

“I didn’t want to get Jude involved any more than she needed to be. She already risked her neck by helping us out with the BD I grabbed from Konpeki. And at the time, I didn’t trust you enough to divulge that level of information. I felt like it would be best if I just kept it all to myself and sorted it out on my own. Obviously, I was wrong. But, we’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

“And…are you happy with where you are right now?”

Evelyn smirked. 

“So that’s what you and Judy were talking about outside.”

_Glad to see she still has that knack for reading people._

“Heh, yeah. What’s all this about Clouds? You can’t possibly be considering going back there.”

“Fuck no. If I went back it would be to burn it all to the ground. It just fucking eats at me that Clouds is still operating like nothing happened. I’m not the first person to go through this shit, and I’m not going to be the last. I want to see something change there so that another doll doesn’t end up the way I did.” She lowered her head and paused for a few minutes, mood instantly darker from earlier. She stared at the table in front of her before turning to look V straight in the eyes, a fierce determination smoldering behind her gaze. “I’ll go to Oregon-on one condition.”

“As long as it’s not another heist, name it.”

“Do one more job for me V. Make Clouds **_pay_**. Ensure there’s no way someone can go through what I’ve suffered.” She was trembling slightly at the end of her request. 

V didn’t even wait to respond. 

“Done. I’ll see that Clouds gets its long overdue change in management.” 

Evelyn began to relax again after hearing V's answer. 

“Thanks V. I wish I could have met you sooner. Maybe all of this could have been avoided.”

“We’ll never know. But hey, you know me now, and I’m only a holo away.”

They both looked up as the apartment’s door opened and Judy stepped through. 

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” She joked, walking over to the sofa and sitting down next to V. 

“Not at all, we were just finishing up actually.” Evelyn replied before standing up and moving to the kitchen counter to grab her things. “I’m gonna go for a walk, probably grab a few things for the apartment while I’m out as well.”

“Just remember to shoot me a text when you get to wherever you’re going.” Judy responded. 

“Of course, just like last time.” Evelyn stopped just short of the door. “I’ll be...late getting back. Figured I’d give you two plenty time to… _catch up_.” She winked and quickly left before either Judy or V could respond. Judy looked at V, cheeks visibly redder than before. 

“I take it the talk went alright?” She asked, trying to ignore Evelyn’s remark. 

“More or less.” V replied, cheeks also sporting a shade of red. “She agreed to go, but on one condition.”

“Which is?”

“She wants me to make sure that what happened to her at Clouds never happens to anyone else. Basically, I’m gonna have to perform a deep clean of the place, if you know what I mean.” 

“Fuck V, that’s askin’ a lot of you. What did you tell her?”

“I agreed of course. Wanted to burn the place to the ground last time I was there. It’ll be business and pleasure.” V smirked. 

“If it’s Clouds you’re lookin’ to hit, I can help. Used to work as one of their techs afterall.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you enjoy working with me.” V teased.

“Maybe I do. Maybe it’s just nice to get out of the basement every now and then.” Judy teased back. 

_Here we go, already talking about work…again._

V’s teasing mood suddenly dropped, a pensive look quickly spreading across her face. 

“V? What’s wrong? Was it something I said?” Judy asked, concern in her voice. 

“No, you’re fine Judy-really. It’s just...I had this conversation with Misty before coming over...” V was suddenly finding it hard to finish the rest of her sentence. She stood up and started to pace in front of the sofa. 

_Remember what Misty said, have faith. Trust past experiences._

“I had a lot of time to think, out in the Badlands. My meeting with Misty helped put things into perspective.” She forced herself to stop pacing and faced Judy. “I realized this morning that for the first time in a while, I actually have time to just sit back and relax. And I knew immediately that all I wanted to do was spend that time… with you.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I like you Judy, _a lot_. I’ve never met someone that makes me feel so comfortable and hopeful for once. When I’m with you, it just feels _right_. And I get this…anxiety whenever we spend time together because moments just like this keep happening. Work or some gig comes along, and I’m left not knowing if and when I’ll be able to spend time with you again- _really_ spend some time with you.”

Judy stood up from the sofa and walked over to V, cupping the left side of her cheek. The smile that she wore made V’s heart melt. 

“Do you really mean that, V?” 

_That damn smile, who knew she could make it even more stunning._

“Every last word and then some. It just took me two weeks to find out how to say it all.” She chuckled. 

Judy moved her hand from V’s cheek to her hand, entwining their fingers together. 

“I really like you too, V. Gotta say, you’re turning me into some kind of gonk hopeless romantic-and I’m not good with the mushy shit.” She chuckled before returning to a more serious demeanor. “I’m glad you were able to find a way to tell me this, and I’d be lyin’ to myself if I said I haven’t been wanting more time with you as well. It hasn’t been ideal having life get in the way of that, but hey, this is Night City afterall.” She gave V’s hand a slight squeeze and looked her in the eyes. “I’m not going anywhere V-not yet, and I’m okay with waiting every now and then if you need to go off and handle shit. You’ve already shown me that I’m not just some fling to you, and that means a lot to me.”

V pulled Judy into a fierce hug, burying her head in the crook of the shorter women’s neck. 

“Thank you, Judy. That means so fucking much.” 

They continued to hold each other in a tight embrace before letting go. Judy proceeded to grab V by the waist, hooking her thumbs into the beltloops.

“You heard what Evelyn said, we have the next few hours together-just the two of us. Surely work can wait until tomorrow.” Judy said through a playful smirk.

“It certainly can.” V replied without hesitation. “Interested in cashing in that rain check?” She smirked. 

“That’s an understatement.” Judy replied.

She pulled V into an intense kiss, messy and full of need, yet still affectionate. They both wanted---needed this, and it showed. Without warning, V lifted Judy by the back of her thighs and carried her towards the patch of wall next to the window, firmly pressing her against it before setting her down once more. Judy gasped as her back hit the wall, responding by digging her nails into V’s side. V quickly grabbed both of her wrists, pinning them over her head while simultaneously maneuvering a thigh between her legs. Their kisses became even more hungry and forceful. Seeing Judy’s half lidded eyes and heavy breathing made the desire in her core grow exponentially. V began to move her kisses down the left side of Judy’s neck, lingering on the the ink that resided there. The attention drew out a soft moan from Judy, emboldening V further. 

Judy tried to push back against V’s grip on her wrists. V pulled back briefly, sporting a cocky smile. She shook her head in disagreement. Judy let out a groan in frustration, which only added to V’s desire. She resumed kissing Judy along her neck before snaking her tongue along her clavicle as she moved farther down. Judy began to slowly grind against V’s thigh. Feeling the combined heat and pressure made V’s clit throb. An unexpected moan escaped her at the intimate touch. 

“Somebody seems to like that.” Judy teased. 

“You have no fucking idea.” V rasped. 

V returned her lips to Judy’s, the other woman taking revenge for earlier actions by assaulting V’s lower lip. V shifted her thigh, giving Judy a better position that offered more direct pressure on her clit. Judy didn’t bother to stifle the moan that left her. 

“And somebody seems to like _that_.” V teased. 

Judy began to grind harder against her thigh. V could tell that Judy’s wetness rivaled her own. She slowly released her grip on Judy’s wrists and withdrew her thigh from between the other woman’s legs. 

“Bedroom?” V asked

“Thought you’d never ask.” Judy jested. 

Their lips crashed together once more and V carried Judy to the bedroom, placing her down on the mattress before moving to straddle her hips. Judy gave her the ‘come hither’ motion, only to grab the bottom of her shirt and lift it up, leaving V in her simple black bra. V returned the favor, unbuckling the right side of Judy’s overalls and untying the small knot of the white tank top below. She lifted the tank over her head, her bra following soon after. V slowly ran a hand down the center of her chest, smiling with both adoration and lust. 

“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful.”

Judy smiled back at V, her cheeks continued to redden. V turned her attention to the red spiderweb tattoo that adorned Judy’s left breast, tracing her tongue around the nipple the ink surrounded. Judy slightly arched her back into the mattress at the new sensation, moving her left hand to tangle in V’s hair. V continued to twirl her tongue around the responsive flesh while simultaneously gently pinching and twisting the opposite side. She switched her attention between Judy’s breasts, evenly distributing her tongue’s actions. Judy was beginning to buck her hips, seeking out more of V’s touch. V sat up and grabbed the top of Judy’s overalls and started sliding them down. Judy lifted her hips to assist, allowing V to take them all the way off and discard them off to the side. Seeing Judy smirking while clad in only a pair of black boyshorts made V painfully aware of just how wet she was. She quickly removed her own jeans and straddled Judy once more, wanting as much contact with the other woman as possible. 

“Think you should check the trouble you’ve caused.” Judy said huskily. 

V groaned, taken aback by just how forward Judy could be in these situations, and loving it when she was. She positioned herself alongside Judy and slowly moved her hand between her legs, dipping a hand underneath the fabric and letting her fingers explore. Judy was right, she had caused a lot of trouble. 

“I’m not even sorry.” V remarked. 

She withdrew her hand and grabbed the hem, moving the fabric down. Judy brought her legs to her chest, allowing V to remove the final barrier between her and Judy. V shifted herself lower and pressed her lips to Judy’s left hip, moving along her waistline with languid kisses. Judy tangled her hand in V’s hair once more and forced her head lower. V let Judy guide her exactly where she wanted before darting out her tongue out to greet the wetness that awaited her. She wrapped her hands around around Judy’s thighs, the position offering her the most control. Judy tightened her grip on V’s hair, biting her lower lip as V began to expertly work her tongue. 

V slowly ran her tongue around Judy’s outer lips, savoring the incredibly slick velvet heat that surrounded her. She continued to the top of Judy’s sex, gently sucking on the sensitive bud there before using the flat of her tongue to apply firm, torturous pleasure. Judy moaned in approval, her legs tightening around V, holding her more in place. V continued to move in slow, firm circles, reducing Judy to ragged breaths. V unexpectedly withdrew her tongue only to plunge it deep within Judy, wetness dripping down her chin. Judy’s instinctively increased her grasp on V’s hair further, pushing her face closer to her sex. The grip was firm, and her face was covered in arousal, but V was too drunk on seeing Judy in ecstasy to care. She worked her tongue at a constant pace, not letting Judy recover for a second. Judy was whimpering and cursing as V fucked her, grasping the sheet with her free hand, knuckles turning white with the effort. V could tell she wasn’t going to last much longer. She withdrew her tongue and moved up to kiss Judy, who groaned at the loss of contact before V teased her entrance briefly with her finger. Judy moaned into the kiss, urging V to give her the sweet release she was craving. V began to fuck her gently at first before adding a second finger and increasing the pace. Judy broke away from the kiss and bit down on V’s shoulder, muffling the sounds that the other woman was drawing from her. After a few more moments of V’s relentless fingers, Judy cried out as her release overtook her. V gently rode her through her aftershocks, savoring the feeling of the other woman pulsing around her fingers and the wetness that now covered her hand. V brought her hand to her face, licking Judy’s arousal off her fingers. 

“Come here you.” Judy commanded huskily. 

V obliged, meeting Judy again in a passionate kiss. 

“My turn.” She whispered, already working on removing V’s ruined underwear. Feeling the state of the fabric, Judy looked at V with a wicked smile. “Now this is something I gotta see up close.”

V started to position herself to lie on her back before Judy stopped her. 

“No, not like that.” She smirked. 

Realization suddenly dawned on V and she matched Judy’s wicked smile. 

“You mean _up close_ , don’t you?” 

Judy nodded in agreement and positioned herself so that she was lying completely on her back. V straddled her, slowly making her way up to position herself over the other woman’s face. V shuddered when she felt Judy's hot breath against her sex. She didn’t waste any time, immediately grabbing onto V’s thighs and running her tongue through her folds, savoring all the wetness she had caused. V couldn’t suppress the moan that escaped her and hand to bend down slightly in order to brace an arm against the wall. Judy was relentless with her tongue, making V’s legs quake from the pleasure. Judy occasionally slipped her tongue inside V, driving the other woman crazy with the dual sensations. V started to rock against Judy’s face, increasing the pleasure the other woman was giving her. 

“Fuck…Judy…I-“

V was barely able to get the words out before she came on Judy’s face, shuddering at the force of her orgasm. Judy continued to slowly run her tongue along V’s folds, lapping up the desire she had brought forth from the other woman. V eventually made her way back alongside Judy, cheeks flushed and chest heaving. 

“So, how was that for a rain check?” V asked through a cocky grin. 

Judy chuckled. 

“Fuck off” She replied, shoving V into the wall. 

The cuddled into each other, needing a moment to recover from their recent activities. 

“Now, about that second date…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is canon, everything is permitted. 
> 
> Next time: V and Judy (finally) have that second date  
> Ch. 18: Bushido and Chill 
> 
> [Side note: I was finally able to track down from rips for radio Vexelstrom, all is right in the musical world again. Pretty sure my gf wants me to stop blasting it in the car)


	18. Bushido and Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V has a few errands to run before she takes Judy to the movies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun chapter to write, hope you all enjoy. We're finally getting close to the ending!

_“Gooooooooooood Morning Night Ci-”_ The radio blared before V slammed the snooze button, groaning her disapproval in the process. 

_Gonna need to pound an extra large synthcaff before I attempt anything today._

She was groggy from getting fewer hours of sleep than usual, having left Judy's apartment well after midnight. Despite her sleep deprived state, she was excited for their long overdue date tonight. She continued to lay in bed a few minutes longer, reminiscing over events of last night while still trying to convince herself they actually happened. A slight blush formed on her cheeks along with a warmth in her chest.

_Even after I told her being away from her for too long causes me anxiety, she still likes me._  
_I’m not alone in my feelings, she reciprocates them._  
_She’s even okay with my shitty work schedule._  
_All this time, I was letting this anxiety get the better of me-even after last time when she told me she wanted to spend more time together outside of work!_

_Got one last big gig to do, but it’s gonna be okay. Judy’ll be right there with me._

She dragged herself out of bed and took a quick shower before changing into a casual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. She went back to the bathroom to finish getting ready, pausing when she caught sight of her hair in the mirror. 

_Misty said I should avoid harsh reds, guess this’ll have to go before tonight. Speaking of which, what time was I supposed to pick Judy up? Fuuuck._

_[You guys talked about it last night. See you managed to fuck it out of your memory afterwards.]_  
_Gonna help me out and remind me, asshole?_  
_[Nah.]_

V decided to go ahead and just text Judy. 

V: [Good morning gorgeous :) ]

She pressed ‘send’ before realizing the time-7:17  
_Fuck. Too late now. Please don’t respond if you’re not awake yet._

Judy responded two minutes later. 

J: [‘Mornin chica :) ]

V: [Oh shit, hope I didn’t wake you up!]

J: [You did, but I like you so I didn’t mind :p]  
J: [What’s up?]

V: […what time did we decide on tonight?]

J: [What’s the matter, get distracted last night? :p]

V: [Yes, actually. You should take that as a compliment. ]

J: [Then I shall ;)]  
J: [7 is what we agreed upon, still work for you?]

V: [Nova, I’ll see you at 7 :) ]  
V: [Don’t forget to bring the movie!]

J: [Pfft, like I could forget Bushido.]

  
_Alright, got a good chunk of time to knock out these errands before heading over. Gotta get this hair situation out of the way first._

A few minutes later V was on her Arch heading for the City Center district. She knew that If anyone wanted to procure anything related to high fashion or appearance in the city, they had to go where the corpos went. She pulled up to a clothing store/salon on the south side of Corpo Plaza, intent on making this encounter as brief as possible. She felt like a prisoner every time she was surrounded by the brutal corporate skyline that dominated this part of town. To V’s delight it took no time at all to find what she was looking for-dark green hair dye ( _don’t want to mimic Judy’s hue, that might be a little weird._ ) The receptionist asked V if she’d like to have the dye applied in store, which she politely refused (at least to her face). V quickly left the store and returned to her Arch. She had just finished buckling on her helmet when an idea came to mind. 

_Noticed Judy had a box full of diving gear in her room. Wonder if there’s a place around her that sells anything remotely related. I wonder…_

She decided to take a detour to the El Dorado Pawn Shop out in Watson. It had been her go to ‘junk’ shop whenever she wanted to browse the miscellaneous and sometimes flat-out bizarre items on display. On her first visit she had been able to score a tritium sight for (her then only pistol at the time) Dying Night as well as a scope adapter. The former was a common attachment for the residents of Washington DC and was rarely seen outside the city. V wondered if she’d get lucky once again and find something that Judy could make use of. 

She walked inside the junk shop, activating the door’s bell alerting the owner that a customer had arrived. V knew she’d have no idea what to look for, so she decided to just ask the owner up front. She walked over to the main counter and gently leaned on the glass. The elderly gentleman who ran the place had his back turned to her, seemingly unaware of the door’s previous chime. He was engrossed in polishing the chrome on some exotic looking mantis blades. 

“Hey there Renji, how’s biz?”

The elderly Japanese gentleman turned to face V, a warm smile spreading over his face upon recognizing one of his most frequent patrons. 

“V! So happy to see you again, been a long time no? I didn’t make nearly as much profit last month with you gone!” He joked while shuffling over to V. 

“What are you looking for today eh? Got some rare BD’s straight out of LA, a 12-shooter revolver from the Republic of Texas…” He leaned in and beckoned V closer, lowering his voice. “Even came into possession of a Tetratronic Rippler MK4 cyberdeck. 10 RAM units V, 10!”. 

V let out a small chuckle at the old man’s enthusiasm. 

“That all sounds preem Renji, but I’m not shoppin’ for me today. Lookin’ for something that’s not merc related for once.” 

Renji stepped back from the counter and crossed his arms in front of his chest, a quizzical look on his face. 

“Well, this is a surprise! What _non-merc_ things can I help you find today?” He grinned. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about diving gear, would you?”

Renji let out a hearty laugh, bending over and slapping his knee. 

“Oh V, ‘do I know anything about diving gear?’. When I was a boy growing up in Japan, I’d be diving every weekend if I could help it!” 

_Bless you Renji, you sweet old man._

“Now, what are you looking for? Suit, regulator, weights, tanks, fins?”

“…yes.” V chuckled. 

Renji let out another hearty laugh, deeper than before. 

“Gear like that isn’t exactly what people come in here for, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have it around here somewhere. Let me take a look out in the back.” He shuffled to the back room. V could hear him rummaging around and the occasional ‘Aha!’. 

He returned carrying a small handful of items that V couldn’t even begin to decipher. He set down three items on the counter. 

“First piece here-depth gauge. Tells you how much air is left in the tank.” He set it down and lifted up the second piece. “Regulator. In a nutshell, lets you breathe underwater.” He moved on to the last piece. “Dive computer. This thing will track all your data. How deep you are, how long you’ve been out, things like that.” He took a step back as V admired the items. 

“Which piece would you choose Renji? Or rather, which one’s the hardest to come by out here?”

“Funny enough, the dive computer. Ironic isn’t it, with all our tech and all these corps. No one’s really looking to go diving out on these shores, both soft and hardware are pretty much nonexistent out here.”

V picked up the small computer and gave it one last look over, admiring the foreign nature of it. 

“I’ll take it.” She smiled. 

“Wonderful! And since you’re one of my favorite patrons, I’ll throw in a small discount as well.” He winked. 

“Alright then, what’s the damage this time Renji?”

“30,000 eddies choomba.”

_Oof, wonder how much that discount actually was. Still, worth it._

“Sold.” She held out her left palm and transferred the funds. “Would you be able to put it in a box for me as well?”

“Sure thing V, should only take a moment.” 

Renji slipped the dive computer into a static shielding bag before gently packing it into a simple wooden box with a hinged lid. He handed the box over to V, his warm smile greeting her once more. 

“Have fun with your new _non-merc_ toy V!” 

“You’re the man Renji.” She gave him a friendly handshake. “Thanks again!” She waved her goodbye before making her way back to her Arch. With both items now in tow, it was time to get back to apartment to tackle the dye debacle. 

_And now to go home and tackle the hard part._

As V walked into her apartment once again, it dawned on her that she hadn’t dyed her hair a new color in years, and certainly not without a professional’s help. Touching up her crimson hue was practically second nature at this point but trying a new color altogether would be uncharted territory. 

_Come on V. You’ve reconstructed pistols, crafted high power sniper rifles, and performed several engine overhauls in your lifetime. You can handle putting some fuckin’ peroxide and green goop in your hair._

She changed into an old black tank before heading over to the bathroom and grabbing the bottle of peroxide from below the sink as well as several latex gloves. She took off her glasses and set them aside then draped a small towel around her neck. She paused and took one last look of herself in the mirror. A small sad smile spread across her lips. 

_Hasta luega, roja._

She slipped a glove on one hand and grabbed the peroxide bottle in the other. Soon she was well into phase one of the dye debacle. 

_Bet Judy would get a kick out of watching this. I’m laughing at myself for sure._

Once her hair was sufficiently coated in the peroxide, V was forced to wait while the chemicals went to work. She decided to have a little fun to help pass the time. 

V: [I’ve got a surprise in store for you tonight :p]

J: [V if this is a sex joke, I swear to god.]

V: [Don’t worry, it’s not.]  
V: [I don’t always make sex jokes y’know.]  
V: [Okay except for that one time.]  
V: [Fine then, maybe I’ll just keep your surprise in my stash room…]

J: [Wait, don’t tell me you get me a gun.]

V: [Actually, that would have been a nova idea.]  
V: [No, it’s not a gun.]  
V: [You’ll probably never guess :p]

J: [So what is it gonk?]

V: [Actually there’s two surprises.]  
V: [But I can’t keep one in my stash room.]  
V: [And that’s what you’ll see tonight.]  
V: [The other one I have to physically give you.]  
V: [And no, not talking about sex :p ]

J: […..]  
J: [I’m not even gonna touch that.]  
J: [I’m scared and intrigued at the same time.]  
J: [Congrats gonk :p]  
J: [Didn’t know we were doin’ gifts tonight…]

V: [Neither did I, but I got inspired.]  
V: [No pressure though.]  
V: [Please don’t feel pressured to get my anything.]  
V: [I just got distracted by something shiny.]

J: [Oh it’s shiny? Interesting…]

V: [Yep. See ya at 1900 ;)]

  
One N54 world news report later, V checked the peroxide’s progress in the mirror. Overall, she was quite pleased, her once crimson hair now had a faint pink hue to it. After a few more additional minutes, she rinsed her hair and prepared for phase two of the dye debacle. She mixed the chemicals in a bottle and shook it vigorously, ensuring the mixture was activated sufficiently. 

_Here goes nothing._

She carefully applied the green dye, making sure to take her time along her hairline as well as the buzzed portion on her left side. With the torturous process now done, she would know the results of her amateur attempt in about an hour. She decided to go ahead and brainstorm what to wear in the meantime. 

_Huh, gonna need to retool my wardrobe since it complimented the crimson in my hair. Looks like there’s loads of winter colors in my immediate future. Thankfully it shouldn’t be too hard for tonight, just need something that says, ‘My name is V and I go to the movies a lot’._

After setting out several outfit combinations, she decided to keep it cool and casual-her favorite pair of blue jeans, a black Samurai 2020 tour tank, and a black zip up hoodie. She checked her watch to see how much time had elapsed. 

_16:13. Eh, an extra thirteen minutes shouldn’t hurt._

She walked back over to the bathroom and activated the shower, carefully pulling her tank over her head before stepping in. It was an awkward adventure trying to rinse out the dye while subsequently avoiding letting any of it run off where it shouldn’t. Eventually V was no longer able to see swirls of green running down the drain and stood up to perform a normal rinse. After drying off, she walked over to the sink and wiped off the condensation from the mirror. She let out a chuckle seeing her new hue. 

_Well, it’s certainly green, and dark green at that._

She brushed out her newly dyed hair and proceeded to change into tonight’s outfit. After taking a breather to settle down and catch up with her email, V grabbed a duffle and began to pack some items for the movie. 

_Padding for the truck bed-check_  
_Blanket, extra large-check_  
_Pillows-check_  
_Cooler-check_  
_Drinks!_  
_Let’s see here-Real Water, NiCola, aaaand a couple of Brosephs.-check_  
_Food?_  
_Could pick up a pizza on the way over. Yeah, that’ll work._  
_And of course last but not least, dive computer-check._

Content with her arrangements, V sat down on the sofa and relaxed. She closed her eyes and focused on the night to come, a wide smile on her lips. 

~18:30~

V placed the duffle bag and cooler in the back seat of her Thorton Mackinaw truck then set off to pick up a locust pepperoni pizza (with extra cheese of course). Always the punctual merc, she pulled up in front of Judy’s apartment right at 7. Judy appeared through the entrance shortly after, giving V a smile along with a wave. 

“Smells like pizza in here.” She joked while climbing into the passenger seat.

“Figured nothing pairs better with Bushido than pizza.” V joked back. “Speaking of which, you did bring it, right?”

Judy was about to stare daggers at V, but that was before she noticed the new green hue of her hair. She grinned. 

“I see someone decided on a new look.” She chuckled. 

“Don’t tell me it looks bad! Shit. Well, I mean, I did do it myself.”

“It’s not that! Just can’t help but think that I’m rubbin’ off on you.” She pointed to the green in her fringe. 

V chuckled.   
“Nope, not the same. See? Mine’s darker.” V leaned over and compared her hair to Judy’s. It was indeed darker. 

“Fiiiiiiine. I guess.” Judy teased. 

“Misty suggested I stay away from harsh reds, been messin’ up my chakras apparently. I was torn between green and blue. Had blue when I was 23-wasn’t a huge fan. So, green it was.”

“I guess that does make a lot more sense.” Judy acquiesced.

“Althooough, I may have had some outside influence.” V grinned. 

“You’re such a fuckin’ gonk.” 

“Eh, you like it.” 

Judy shook her head then shoved V into the door. She couldn’t hide the smile that had crept across her lips. 

“You know you’re gonna feel like the gonk here if you forgot to bring the movie.” V asked. 

Judy inclined her head and glared at V. 

“Alright alright, just checking!” V smirked before reversing out of the parking lot and heading towards North Oak. “Ever been to the Silver Pixel Cloud drive in?” She asked, merging onto the highway. 

“Heard about it but nope, never been. Just know it’s been abandoned for a hot sec now. Is it even still standing?”

V shrugged. 

“It was last time I drove by. Guess we’re about to find out how the inside’s lookin’ too.”

  
Half a Perilous Futur album later the truck pulled up to the slightly dilapidated exterior. The gate that would normally be open to admit patrons was closed, to no one’s surprise. 

“Alright V, do your thing. I’ll watch.” Judy teased, crossing her arms across her chest. 

“I bet you will.” V smirked. She exited the truck and headed for the employee entrance. Upon entering, she noticed another door to her right. She walked towards it, but the motion failed to trigger the opening mechanism. She glanced down at the keypad next to the door.

_Of course, and just my luck there’s no way to hack in and do this through the Net-tech’s too old. Guess I can try a few quick combos for shits and giggles._

She punched in ‘1234’ to no avail before moving on to ‘0000’. The door opened. 

_Wow. This is why people get hacked all the fuckin’ time._

She made her way outside, scanning the area to see if she could pick up anything out of the ordinary. She was happy to discover that the gate control off to her right was still connected to the Net, enabling her to hack into the control mechanism and activate it. She walked through the now open gate and back to the truck.

“No need to show off, I already like you.” Judy jested. 

“Just another day.” V replied, driving the truck through the gate and reverse parking it in front of the screen. The lot was full of weeds and there were a handful of half rusted abandoned cars. V thought it was perfect. 

“Figured we could use the bed of the truck as our viewing area. Brought some gear along to make it more comfortable, pizza included. Mind givin’ me a hand?” V asked. Judy smiled in return. 

V grabbed the duffle and cooler while Judy secured the pizza. They began prepping the truck’s bed, setting down the padding and fluffing the pillows against the rear window. V hoisted the cooler inside, Judy placed the pizza on top. 

“Brought a variety of drinks-real water, NiCola, and Broseph. Wasn’t sure what you would be in the mood for.” 

“I get to choose?” Judy joked. “I’ll take a Broseph to start. What kind of pizza did you end up grabbing?”

“Locust pepperoni, lots of extra cheese. Hope that’ll alright.”

“Atta girl, that’s what I’m talking about.” Judy replied. 

“Shall we see about getting the projector up and running first?” V asked.

“I’d say that’s a good idea. Kinda excited if I’m honest, don’t think I’ve ever worked with this kind of tech before.” Judy admitted. 

“That’s sayin’ a lot coming from you.”  
  
“I know.”

They made their way up the stairwell to the projection booth. The door opened and revealed a simple setup of a lone desktop computer and the projector. Posters still adorned the walls, practically vintage at this point. 

“I’m taking some of these with me afterwards.” Judy remarked. 

V smiled as Judy gently traced her fingers over the lettering of the Bushido X poster. 

_She’s even more beautiful when she’s enjoying something._

V checked the computer for any useful information while Judy made a beeline for the projector, instantly fiddling with the unit to see how it worked. 

“Only thing I got here is the movie schedule from the last day this place was still up and running.” She got up from the desk and walked over to Judy. “Think you can make it work?” 

Judy looked over her shoulder at V.

“Are you questioning my talents?” She asked, pretending to be insulted. 

“Not at all! You just seem to be…taking your time.” V teased.

“What? I’m not allowed to admire tech I’ve never really worked with before? Also, can’t exactly just plug in a BD and expect it play on this hunk of a unit right here.” She pulled out a small data board, one that was usually found inside a BD wreath, and began to tinker. V stood back and watched the master go to work. 

“Can you stop staring at my ass and give me a hand here.”

V blushed, even though she was innocent in the accusation.

“Sure thing. And I was watching your hands, thank you very much.” 

Judy let out a small laugh. 

“Just need you to pull this ribbon cable aside while I hook this board onto the connector pins down there. Then I’ll need to figure out which microprocessor pin to it connect to, probably number 2, or maybe 6 . That should do the trick. Either that or the whole thing’s gonna fry.” She joked. 

V followed Judy’s instructions, allowing the techie to maneuver the board inside the projector. A few moments later she let out a satisfied ‘Aha!’.

“She ready to roll now?” V asked.

Judy did some final adjustments on the projector before interacting with the touch display on the front. “Bushido X: Fade to Black” came to life on the screen.

“I’d say she is.” Judy grinned. 

“No need to show off, I already like you.” V jested. 

“Just another day.” Judy smirked as they made their way back down to the truck. 

They both settled under the blanket and began work on the pizza. Judy raised her Broseph in a toast. 

“To Bushido!” 

“To Bushido!” V replied. 

The movie had everything: blood, tits, and gore-the kind of overblown nonsense that had made the 2064 film a classic. V enjoyed a good crack film every now and then, but Judy seemed actively engrossed in the film as if it were cinematic gold. They continued watching as the protagonist Jake began his infamous fight on top of a train against the hulking villain Gorira.

“People like to talk shit about Bushido, but they fail to see everything Lamb was pioneering at the time.” Judy said through a mouthful of pizza. “Man was the first to really give the middle finger to the whole fuckin’ damsel in distress trope. He was even quoted once saying that he “fucking loves it when hot chicks dissect the shit out of the bad guys”.”

“Gotta agree with him on that.” V responded, paying less attention to the movie and more on Judy’s passionate dissection of the film. 

_Still not over how beautiful she is when she’s talking about something she enjoys. Hope I can make her this happy someday._

“And what he does with Jake’s character-having his cybernetic arm symbolize a tragic past along with techno-ontological conflict within the psyche AND using it as a metaphor for the duality of the human condition-fuckin’ beautiful. Makes the whole ending with the arm leading to Gorira getting blown to blood bits and that epic disintegration so much more satisfying.” 

“Way to ruin the ending.” V joked. 

“Oh shit, sorry V! I thought you’d already seen it-forget I said anything.” Judy blushed.

V laughed at Judy’s response. 

“I’m just fuckin’ with you Judy, of course I’ve seen Bushido.” 

Judy shot her a sidelong glance. 

“You ass, actually made me feel bad there for a second.” 

V put her arm around Judy’s shoulders and pulled her in close before placing a kiss on her cheek. The movie continued into the third act. 

“You have to admit though, camera work’s a bit shaky.”

“Everyone’s a critic.” Judy replied, resting her head on V’s shoulder. 

  
They continued to watch the movie until the end credits started rolling, a quarter of the pizza still remaining. The lights surrounding the lot illuminated slightly.

“Thanks for brining me out here, this was a great idea. I’m glad we were able to finally do this.” Judy said, wrapping an arm around V’s waist. 

_I can stay like this all night._

“Me too, sorry it took so long. I guess that’s why they say good things come to those who wait.” 

Judy chuckled. 

“Yeah, I guess so.” 

As the movie stopped scrolling they were soon left in the dim lighting of the lot, a few faint stars shining overhead. 

“Oh shit, I almost forgot your surprise!” V exclaimed, hopping out of the bed of the truck and opening the cab door. 

“Ha! I was wondering when you’d remember.”

V poked her head past the edge of the truck and glared at Judy.

“What? You’re the one that texted me earlier about the whole _‘I’ve got two surprises..something something…stash room…something something….not a sex joke._ ”

“You’re mocking me.”

“Me? Never.” Judy smirked. “I just like to give you a hard time.”

“Really? Couldn’t tell.” V responded, hopping back in and settling next to Judy, wooden box in hand. “Here.” She handed the box over to Judy. “Got inspired last time I was at your apartment, hope it’s something you can get some use out of.”

Judy raised an eyebrow. 

“Not _that_ kind of inspiration.” 

Judy slowly opened the box, a wide smile spreading across her face as she recognized the item inside. She took out the dive computer from its sleeve and started examining the details, hazel eyes wide and bright. 

“How the hell did you get a hold of this?! I haven’t been able to find anything this nice anywhere in the city. Even the few Nomads I’ve met haven’t been able to track down anything like this.”

“One perk of bein’ a merc, you make a lot of preem contacts.” V smirked. “So, is this something you can use?”

“Fuck yeah it is! I can’t wait to see what this thing’s capable of!” She put the computer back in the box and leaned over to give V a slightly more than appreciative kiss. 

_Thanks for the hookup Renji, even if it did set me back a good chunk of eddies. Worth it._

They continued to kiss one another, exchanging languid kisses and letting their hands roam. Once they were able to calm themselves down a bit, Judy pulled away and placed a quick peck on V’s nose. 

“The movie was fun, but I think I enjoy laying here next to you even more.” Judy said. 

V’s heart melted at Judy’s openness. 

“Yeah, I think I know what you mean.” She smiled. 

They continued to lie there enjoying the calm of the drive in, entwining their fingers together and relishing the feel of one another’s warmth under the blanket. V had never felt so relaxed and at eased as she did in that moment, her inhibitions practically nonexistent. 

“How would you feel about leaving the city?” V asked, running her fingers through Judy’s fringe. 

_Shit, where did that come from? Shouldn’t have just asked that point blank._

Judy raised her head off V’s shoulder and looked at her, a somewhat quizzical look on her face. 

“You know how I feel about that V, I wanna leave…in due time.”

V took a deep breath and considered her next words.

_Easy now V, you’re walking on eggshells here._

“I mean, what if that time came…say in the next couple of days.” 

Judy took a small scoot away from V, her brow slightly furrowed. 

“What exactly are you asking, V?”

_When all this is done, leave the city with me._

“Say we’re able to overhaul Clouds-put it in hands of the Dolls, back them up with the Mox, and kick the Tiger Claws out once and for all. Would you feel like you’ve made a difference in Night City…that you’d done your part to wipe out some injustice?”

Judy paused for a few moments, mulling over V’s words. 

“Assuming all of this were to actually happen, I suppose so. Why?”

Because I’ll be leaving, and I want to take you with me. Because I want more moments like this where it’s just the two of us, not a care in the world. Because I love seeing you happy, and I don’t want this city to swallow you up any more than it already has. 

“I was thinkin’ back to our first date. You said you felt like you needed to prove yourself, make a difference before leaving the city. I was just wondering if saving your best friend from a Scav den and assisting in a hostile takeover of a dollhouse fulfilled that requirement. Would you feel like you were free to leave and move onto the next phase of your life?”

Something about V’s question made Judy slightly anxious. 

“Got any cigs on you? Kinda feelin’ one right now.” She squirmed slightly. 

_Good job V, now she’s uncomfortable._

“Of course, give me a sec.” V hopped out of the bed and went around to the driver side door, grabbing Evelyn’s cigarette case and a lighter from the center console. She hopped back inside the truck bed and opened the case, grabbing one for each of them. She lit Judy’s first before lighting her own. Judy inhaled deep, holding in the smoke before exhaling slowly. 

_Fuck, hope I didn’t just ruin everything asking her that._

“Y’know, I used to mark time in stages, one juncture to the next. There was the megabuilding, the hole-in-the-wall phase, then the group home phase, the Mox phase. Every time I thought I found a home, and every damn time, I came away disappointed.” She took another long drag, exhaling through her nostrils. 

V put her arm around Judy’s shoulders once more and gave her a reassuring squeeze. 

“Pretty soon you’ll have plenty of time to think about the next phase, a more permanent one, the one you were meant to live. Have you given any thought to where you’d like to start?”

Judy took another long drag. 

“Not too much, although I’ve always wanted to go to Oregon-meet up with my grandparents again. Wouldn’t mind sticking around to see what Portland has to offer. What about you? Anywhere you’re itching to run off to?”

V chuckled slightly as she exhaled the smoke. 

“Wherever the wind takes me, as long as it’s far away from this fucking city.” 

_And with you._

“Heh, fair enough.” 

They continued to smoke their cigarettes, hazy smoke mixing with the city ambience. 

“Never thought I’d make it far enough to even contemplate leaving. Figured I’d end up on some never-ending spiral of ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’.” She took V’s hand in her own. “Thanks to you V, I’m actually in a position to consider a future outside of Night City. You’ve helped give me that push to action I was lookin’ for.”

V smiled at her and swore she felt some moisture building in the corners of her eyes. 

_You’re too good to me Judy._

“You would’ve gotten there, I only helped bump up your timeline. You’re about to start one of the best phases in your life soon, just watch.” V took one last drag of her cigarette before putting it out. “So how about it, ready for one last hurrah before blowing this city? 

“I’m down for one more round, especially when I got a hot merc by my side.” Judy grinned. 

V smirked and pulled Judy in for a kiss. 

“I’ll let you borrow Overture this time.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to Lizzie's Bar for their continued support and inspiration <3  
> Comments and kudos always appreciated :)
> 
> Next time: Clouds gets a change of management.  
> Chapter 19: La Tormenta


	19. La Tormenta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V and Judy formulate a plan to take down Clouds once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like action with a little bit of feelings mixed in.

It was late on a Thursday, the streetlights shined overhead as V pulled her Arch into the parking lot behind Judy’s apartment. A little over a week had passed since she and Judy began trying to think of ways to permanently remove the Tyger Claws from Clouds. They decided to meet tonight to try and put together some resemblance of plan with the info they had gathered so far. V took the stairs two at time up to Judy’s door before activating the com. 

“Hey Jude, it’s me.” V said, unable to keep a hint of excitement out of her voice. 

_Jude? Hope she’s okay with me calling her that._

The door deactivated a few seconds later. V made her way inside just as Judy was emerging from her office. She flashed V a smile as she walked over, wrapping her in an embrace. 

_Guess that’s a yes._

“Thanks for coming over, V.” 

“You make it sound like it’s a chore.” 

Judy pulled away and gave V a light whack across the back of her head, making her snigger. 

“Always gotta be a smartass.” She walked over to the kitchen counter and leaned against it. “I put on a pot if you’re interested. Figured you might want a little something before we get started.” She inclined her head in the direction of the freshly steaming coffeepot. 

“You know me all too well.” V said, rubbing the back of her head as she walked over to the brew. “Want a cup too?” 

“I do, actually. Thanks.”

V was about to reach for some cups before realizing she didn’t know where Judy kept hers. 

“Top right.” Judy chuckled, deciding to spare V some embarrassment. 

V gave her a thumbs up and opened the cupboard, taking down two mugs and dispensing them both a cup of preem organic grind. 

“If you don’t mind, was thinkin’ we could chat up on the roof.” Judy said. 

V raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. 

“Didn’t know you had roof access here.” She said, handing Judy one of the steaming mugs. 

“I don’t…but I made one.” She smirked. 

“Heh, why am I not surprised. I wouldn’t mind, never really been one to turn down getting’ some fresh air.” 

They finished their coffee before leaving the apartment and made their way to the fire escape. Judy removed the latch at the top so they could continue up onto the roof. Just beyond the air conditioning units were two white lawn chairs that flanked a plush black sofa. A table had been set up nearby on the left. V had to admit it was a pretty nice setup compared to some to the other rooftop digs she’d run across. She decided to give the couch a try while Judy chose to remain standing a moment longer. 

Kabuki harbor was in full view before them, its tall skyscrapers framing the horizon. An AV was flying slowly overhead, bright lights and low engine humming adding to the city ambience. V thought the view rivaled that of Misty’s. But despite the view, her eyes were drawn to a partition on the left that had ‘Broken’ scrawled across in white lettering. 

_Maybe for now, but not for much longer._

She took out Evelyn’s Megabuilding cigarette case and opened it with an audible click, making Judy turn to investigate the noise. 

“She let you keep it?” Judy asked. 

V flipped the case around in her hand, making it shine as it caught the ambient light. 

“Yeah, as a thank you. That and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want any mementos from Clouds-unless we burn it to the ground and gift her some of the ashes.” V chuckled. 

“Speaking of ashes, mind if I bum a cig?”

“Sure thing, just don’t make it a habit.” V jested, extending the case towards Judy. “Sorry I’ve become such a bad influence on you.” 

“Think it’s a bit late for that apology, don’t you think?” Judy smirked as she walked over to where V was sitting, taking a cigarette from the case as it was offered to her. She slipped it between her lips and bent down so V could light it for her, savoring the feeling of the first few drags. She sat down in the chair to V’s right, crossing one leg over the other. Her foot began to tap the air at a steady pace. “I did quit…for years actually. But every now and then it just _hits_ where I need it to.”

_I know the feeling all too well._

“Like when you’re anxious?” V remarked, noting Judy’s tense posture. 

“Heh, yeah. Times like this, when it feels the calm before a storm…just feels better to have somethin’ other than air in my lungs.” 

_Shit, was it something I said?_

“I assume our current predicament isn’t helping, but is there something in particular that’s got you all worked up?” V asked, concern in her voice. 

Judy took a sharp drag on her cigarette. 

“Bein’ up here with you…it’s finally sinking in that shit’s about to get real. And the more I think about it…about Clouds, the more I’m reminded of what could’ve happened to Ev. Thought I was gonna lose her there for a second…was convinced things were gonna take a dark turn, fast.”

“I’ll admit, it didn’t look too promising at first. But Evelyn’s a fighter, and she’s come such a long way from where she was. Plus, she’s got one hell of a tenacious choomba by her side.” V smiled at her. 

Judy gave a weak smile at V’s remark. “More like _obstinada_ (stubborn), you give me too much credit.” 

“And you don’t give yourself enough sometimes. Don’t forget, you were right there by my side knocking down Fingers’ door. Well, you used the door while I used the window, but still. You were there. And then you charged into that Scav den along with me in order to rescue Evelyn.” 

“You know those were small time gigs compared to what we’re trying to pull off.” 

“Judy, between what we’ve been through and all the shit you’ve overcome to get to where you are now, you have no reason to doubt what you’re capable of. And it’s okay to be nervous, hell, I’m not exactly at ease with the whole situation either. This shit isn’t exactly gonna be a cakewalk, but it’s well within your abilities.” V locked her eyes with Judy’s and gave her a warm smile. “And I’ll be by your side the entire time.”

Judy let V’s words sink in for a moment. The tension she had been carrying seemed to subside slightly. She leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees, leaving her cigarette untouched and letting the smoke swirl around her. 

“Thanks for that, V.” She flashed a small smile as she sat back in her chair. “Still getting used to being in a position to take action instead of just wishing for it.” She took a brief drag of her cigarette. “Speaking of which, I have an idea how we can get started with this gig of ours. I just hate that I’m having to resort to it.” She scoffed. 

“Alright, I’m all ears.” V replied, a slight uneasiness in her voice. 

Judy let out a deep sigh. 

“Not even gonna bother sugar coating it so here it is-thinkin’ about reaching out to my ex, Maiko. Ironically enough, she’s the manager at Clouds.” 

V choked on her drag mid inhale, requiring a few moments to recover. 

“Wait, she _runs_ Clouds? You mean-” 

“As their unofficial manager, the Tyger Claws are the ones that _actually_ call the shots.” 

V tried to keep her emotions off her face but could still feel her jaw clenching. 

_No need to get wound up over a shitty ex, you’re not even her input._  
_Heh, maybe someday. A merc can dream._

“Alright, what did you have in mind.” V asked once she regained her composure. 

“It’s shit, but it’s still our best bet at the moment. Bottom line-need to get Maiko on our side, but two things need to happen before she’ll even consider. First, need to somehow convince her she’s got the upper hand on us. Second, follow that up by presenting her an opportunity she’d be hard pressed to refuse.” 

“Sounds simple enough.” V jested. “But what could we possibly offer someone like her? 

“Remember that idea you shot me a few days ago, about having the Mox take over the management of Clouds? 

“Sure do, thought it was worth a shot.” 

“Well, I brought it up to Suzie Q yesterday. She immediately asked me if I had lost my fuckin’ mind-which, I don’t blame her. But then I threw some hard facts in her face since nowadays she’s more about business than anything else. Reminded her that membership in the Mox has quadrupled over the past year and how there’s now enough iron in reserve to outfit every member twice over. Plus, they fuckin’ owe me considering the BDs I’ve tuned for them have contributed to at least half of their cash flow.” She took a brief drag before continuing, a grin spreading across her face. “But then I added in a little bonus-if the Mox took over Clouds, it would be seen as liberating a second territory from the Tyger Claws-which is how the Mox came to be after taking over Lizzie’s. So I asked her-if the business isn’t going to suffer, then why turn down a chance to return the Mox to its former glory? 

_Ruthless Judy, I love it._

“Got an earful of colorful words from her after that, but eventually we were able to reach an agreement. As long as you and I are the ones getting our hands dirty dealing with the Tyger Claws, she’ll branch the Mox into Clouds.”

“Damn Judy. I gotta say, _well done_.” V grinned, making Judy blush. 

“See, I can be a people pleaser when I need to be.” She jested. 

“That you can. But I’m still not sure how having the Mox in charge is gonna win over this Maiko character.”

“I knew her before she became involved with the Tyger Claws. Only reason she’s where she is now is because she believes power is the key to everything in Night City-especially when it comes to eddies and security. Only took her two years of wit and manipulation to work her way from bein’ a doll to the unofficial manager. But deep down she knows that she’s nothing more than a glorified doll who’s only allowed her position because she pays her dues on time and just so happens to know how to run things efficiently.”

Judy finished the last of her cigarette, crushing the butt beneath her boot with more force than was necessary. 

“That’s why she runs shit the way she does-gotta stay on their good side. With the Mox in charge, they can offer her a chance to keep playing manager and still provide the security and paycheck she desires, only better. Then to appease her ego, we can tell her that instead of having you track down and assassinate the bosses, she gets to be the hero and set up the meeting, play them however she feels. That way she gets to feel like she’s still got an upper hand in all of this. Bitch is only loyal to herself, but she won’t try and pull shit behind our backs if she’s getting what she wants.”

“Or I can just take care of her myself and save us all this extra hassle, but I know that’s not the angle we’re going for here-not the route you’d like to take.” 

“Only as a last resort V, I mean it.” Judy warned. 

“I know you do, and I’ll only follow a plan you’re comfortable with.” 

“I just wish there was an easier way is all. Thought I was done with the bitch once and for all after we broke up, been almost a year now.”

“Sounds like you two had quite the history.”

“Way back, yeah. Think I just felt lonely, just like everyone else in this city. But she was different then, and so was I.” 

“This city changes everyone, sometimes for the worse…and sometimes for the better.” Her eyes met Judy’s once more and she smiled. “Once this is done, you’ll never have to see her again. And if you ever need to talk or vent about it, I’m here…only if you’re comfortable of course.”

“Thanks V. Ugh, and to think I could’ve gone diving this morning.”

“A little unwinding would do you some good. Would probably do me some good too, actually.” 

“It wouldn’t have been unwindin’, not exactly. Still workin’ on that BD project I showed you a while back, but I can’t say if it’ll amount to anything.”

“Hard to imagine you, a deckchair, and a Mai Tai with one of those little cocktail umbrellas. Yeah, somehow I just don’t see it.” V joked. 

“Nope! Me in a deckchair means me mullin’ over the the never-ending ‘what ifs’. Something I’ve slowly been getting better at not doing thanks to you.” She smiled. 

_Glad we’ve been able to help each other in that respect._

They sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the nighttime ambience of the harbor. 

“Would probably be best to rip this band-aid off sooner rather than later, when do you want to confront Maiko?” V asked. 

“Today’s Thursday, so let’s go with…Saturday. Gonna need a little time to mentally prepare to see her face again. We’ll meet there, I’ll send you the exact location-we’re not goin’ through the front door for this.” 

“Now _that’s_ what I’m talking about.” V grinned. 

* * *

_Saturday_

  
V made her way to the coordinates Judy provided, having had to navigate across several feet of scaffolding and makeshift outcroppings along the Megabuilding H8 before reaching the designated balcony. Judy was pacing back and forth in front of a door, cigarette in hand. 

“Even without the cigarette I can see you’re a bundle of nerves.” V remarked.

“Heh, you could say that.” Judy said before taking another drag. “Talkin’ with Maiko’s gonna be like playin’ a game of 3D chess, you can’t let her derail you. Miss a beat with her and she’ll wrap you around her finger, get you on her agenda while thinkin’ you’re the one in control.” 

“Huh, sounds like my first ex.” V snickered. “So, how do we win this game of 3D chess?”

“Let me try and do the talking. Gonna tell her the truth about what happened to Evelyn and why, then follow that up with our offer.” Judy finished her cigarette before extinguishing it on the ground.

“Something tells me that’s not gonna cut it and you’re gonna end up all angry and flustered. Next thing I know I’ll be trying to keep you two from clawing each other’s throats out.”

Judy shot her an unamused look. 

“Then we’ll _improvise_ , see if you can try and talk some sense into her.” 

“Alright, ready when you are.”

“Wait here, I’ll get the door.”

Judy walked over to the control panel against the righthand wall and opened the unit to begin tampering with the inner circuits. 

“You know how to get around their system?”

Of course she does, why are you surprised? 

“Appears so. Was hopin’ they hadn’t run any updates since I left. Looks like I was right.” She made one final adjustment before closing the unit again. “Easy as _paella_.”

“But… _paella_ is easy to fuck up.”

Judy shook her head at V’s remark. 

“You fuckin’ gonk. Follow me.” 

With the door deactivated they proceeded into Maiko’s office. The room was vast and aside from a lounge area to the left, rather sparsely decorated. V felt the space resembled a corpo’s bedroom rather than a personal office. Maiko was sitting at her desk in the upper right portion of the room, seemingly undisturbed by the fact that a merc and her ex had just casually strolled in. 

“Judy Álvarez. I’d say it’s great to see you, but I’ve never been one to lie. Also, I never liked surprise parties-which you know.”

V rolled her eyes. 

_So it begins. Also, Álvarez? Good to know._

They continued making their way inside Maiko’s office, stopping a few feet in front of her desk. 

“Yep, bet I even know why.” Judy responded, crossing her arms in front of her chest. V could tell she was struggling to keep herself from saying what she truly wanted to. 

“Thought you’d hit rock bottom when you joined the Mox. Guess you’ve managed to stoop even lower now, consorting with a _persona_ who is very _non grata_. Yes V, I mean you.”

_‘Persona non grata’ my ass._

“Guess I left a lasting impression last time I was here. Good. Glad to know it only took one visit to Clouds for you to remember me.” V responded, a cocky smirk on her face. 

“My job, among other things, is to remember _unsavory_ customers. Naturally, I take it upon myself to deal with them, too. Now, how am I gonna deal with you?”

“Ah don’t mind me, just here to blend into the décor.” V said while motioning around the room with her hands. 

“That’s no reason to be here. Why come at all?”

_Easy now, remember the plan._

“Got a proposal for you. But first, need to let you know about what happened to one of your employees-Evelyn Parker to be exact.” 

Maiko got up from her desk and began to walk over to Judy. 

“Okay, look. It’s clear what happened to Ev was…traumatic.” She cupped Judy’s left cheek. Judy instantly recoiled from the touch. 

“What? I was convinced you didn’t know.” Judy said, confusion in her voice. 

Maiko took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a short drag. 

“That girl was askin’ for an unhappy ending. I was just surprised it took so long.”

_Glad to see you think so highly of your employees._

“We gotta do something! Or else everyone’ll end up like Evie. Woodman _raped_ her while she was unconscious, then sold her like she was a piece of scrap!”

“Yeesh, you’ve always been unstable.” Maiko remarked, shifting her gaze over to V. “Okay, since you seem to be the more reasonable one here, care to explain what this is all about?”

_You’re lucky Judy said I couldn’t just off you and bypass this whole fucking show. Fuck, time to improvise._

“All of that happened to Evelyn…and much worse. After all that we were barely able to get her out of a Scav den alive. Clouds can’t continue running the way it is or else someone else will end up same as her, except this time they won’t be as lucky.” She took a few steps closer to Maiko.   
“Unless you want another Evelyn on your hands, ditch the Tyger Claws. We can help one another.”

“Well, well, Jude. See you’ve found a true and loyal fan.” She walked back over to her desk and sat down, cigarette still smoking. 

“Tyger Claw bosses rule this place. Know how much I mean to them? About as much as you two and your problems mean to me. Zilch, nada.”

“Doesn’t that make you wonder why they bother to keep you around?” V asked. 

“They keep me around because I’m damn good at my job. Clouds didn’t become one of the top dollhouses in Night City just because the Tyger Claws have ownership. It takes some actual fuckin’ skill to run a place like this. As long as I deliver on my end, they let me do as I please and pay me appropriately.”

“What if you could still do all that-keep all your fuckin’ perks, but work under new management instead?” V asked. 

Maiko let out a laugh. 

“I’d say you were talking out your ass.”

“Try me.”

“Don’t expect me to beg you for the details V, spill it.”

_Here goes nothing. Please, just take the fucking deal._

“The Mox are willing to take over managing Clouds, Judy’s already talked it over with Suzie. She’s prepared to let you stay on in your current position as long as you agree to stick to managing operations-nothing more, nothing less. This way you’ll get to keep all your perks while the dolls gain some as well, including better treatment and increased pay."

“And the Mox are gonna just barge in here and claim that they own the place now? Is Rita gonna swing her bat at every Tyger Claw in here?” She chuckled. 

V walked over to the desk and placed her palms on the polished wood. She looked Maiko dead in the eye. 

“Not the Mox-me. But I need your help…” She looked back at Judy. “… _we_ need your help. You’ve got the upper hand in all of this since you’re the only one that can lead us to the bosses. As long as they’re still around, Clouds stays in their control.”

Maiko took a long drag on her cigarette. 

“So let me get this straight. You want me to just _hand over_ my employers in hopes of having Suzie fucking Q welcome me with open arms after they’re dealt with…and we get to pretend like nothing happened?” 

_I mean, pretty much. I’d take the deal, you should too._

Maiko extinguished her cigarette then took a few moments to consider the offer before her. V thought her facial expressions weren’t exactly promising. 

“Gonna pretend like you two were never here.” She glanced over at Judy. “For old times’ sake. Literally moments from now security’s gonna figure out you’re here. You’ve got two options-go out the way you came in, or get thrown out. And that’s not a threat or figure of speech, just a friendly heads up.”

“Had enough anyways, I’m leavin’.” Judy replied through clenched teeth. 

“Smart move. And so you don’t think I’m brushing you off completely, Forest’ll be on the maintenance level in a couple of minutes. Alone.”

“You’re making a mistake here.” V said, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. 

“And I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

V backed away from the desk and regrouped with Judy. Maiko watched as they left, waiting until the door shut behind them before letting out a deep breath. She turned her chair away from the hidden camera in the corner and for brief moment let a small warm smile spread across her lips.

* * *

They made their way back to the Megabuilding’s main elevator, with Judy cursing Maiko’s name the entire time. 

“Wait a sec. What about Woodman?” Judy asked as they approached the elevator doors. 

“What about him? What do you wanna do?”

“I want somebody to unload lead into his face ‘till there is no face.” Judy spat. 

_Lucky for you, I’ve been doing a lot of that lately._

“You can just say ‘ _Hey V, can you do your merc thing and cap Woodman for me-please_?’”. 

Judy snickered. 

“Fine, _that_.”

“I certainly don’t have an ounce of sympathy for the motherfucker.” V replied. 

“So…we goin’?”

“Depends, got any iron on you? I don’t have a spare on me today.” 

Judy drew her Chao smart pistol from behind her back. 

“Figured I might need this today.” 

_And what were you planning on doing exactly? You know what, never mind._

“Fuck yeah, let’s do this.” V grinned. 

They entered the elevator, V pressed the button for maintenance-3rd floor. 

_{You know what’s worse than a corpo? A wannabe corpo bitch.}_  
_Yeah, that Maiko’s really something._  
_{Piece o’ work that one. But I’ll give her credit-she’s right to brush off this silly plan of yours.}_  
_A little encouragement every now and then would be nice. What if someone would have told you an attack Arasaka Tower was a stupid idea?_  
_{I still would have fuckin’ done it.}_  
_See! Same thing for me just…without the bomb._

The elevator doors opened up to reveal Woodman standing next to a generator, presumably enjoying a smoke break. 

“The fuck you two doin’ here? Where’s Maiko? Why’d she fuckin’ call me here? He continued to smoke his cigarette, not overly concerned by their approach. 

“Evelyn’s alive by the skin of her teeth, no thanks to you.” V began. 

“Come ‘ere just to tell me that? Congrats to her, now fuck off.” He continued to smoke. 

V didn’t let up her verbal assault. 

“When Evelyn needed help, you raped her.” She clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. 

“Could’ve also broken her neck-hung up her head like a chandelier till it started to rot.” He stated flatly. 

Judy spat in his direction. 

“Ugh, _pathetic_.” She scowled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

“Instead, I took her to a ripper. Was due a little something in return. She should be grateful. And so should you.” He pointed his cigarette at V. 

“Hm, here’s my token of gratitude.” Judy said, drawing her Chao and pistol-whipping Woodman, instantly dropping him. 

_Not how I would have started, but I guess we’re doing this now._

V followed up Judy’s attack with a swift kick to his jaw, an audible crack resounding as her boot connected with the bone. Despite the quick one-two attack between them, Woodman quickly stumbled back to his feet. V was able to run a quick scan on him before he fully recovered. 

_Dammit, combat stims. He’s not gonna go down easy._

Judy fired a few rounds in Woodman’s direction, but his reflexes were blindingly fast and he only took one hit and a few grazes to the outer left shoulder. He barreled past V and took cover behind a nearby pilar. 

_Fucking hell he’s big._

“Judy hold your fire! Lemme flank the bastard!”

V scrambled back to her feet and withdrew Overture, carefully moving to the left side of the pilar in hopes of flushing him out the right side. She kept her distance and slowly sidestepped around the pillar, Overture at the ready. She narrowly avoided Woodman’s attack as he came charging around the pillar, fists up at his face in a defensive position. 

_No iron, just fists. Still, don’t want to find out what surprises he might have in store with those things._

Judy opened fire once more, drawing his immediate attention while V positioned herself to strike. Woodman continued to advance on Judy, but V was on him in no time at all. She strategically fired her shots at the hulk of a man-two behind each kneecap and two in the upper left side of his back. He stumbled a foot away from Judy, who quickly emptied the rest of her magazine into him. 

_How is the fucker not dead yet!_

V sprinted over to him, reloading Overture simultaneously. She was about to drop an elbow into the middle of his back when he turned over and hit her with a vicious right hook. V avoided the worst of the attack, but still felt the impact of his fist against her left cheek. She tumbled off to the side before recovering, jaw stinging. 

“V! I’m out!” Judy yelled. 

Woodman refocused his attention on Judy. 

_Come on Jude, who only carries two mags on them?!_

“Catch!” V shouted, tossing Overture over to Judy. “Safety’s on-left side!” 

Woodman was struggling to get to his feet, even his combat stims couldn’t stave off a well placed shot behind the kneecap. Judy caught Overture and flicked the safety to ‘fire’, quickly firing off all six rounds into his chest. V scrambled back to her feet and rushed over to Woodman. The bullets that Judy fired were most likely fatal, but V twisted his neck to finish the job. V took a moment to catch her breath, chest heaving slightly from the scuffle. Judy spat on his corpse as she walked back over to V, handing Overture back over to her. 

“Let’s delta the fuck outta here.” 

Once they were back in the elevator, they began their descent to the ground floor. Judy leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms across her chest. 

“Now that…that was satisfying. Feels like the world’s a slightly better place with that filth out of the picture.”

“World’s changed alright. He won’t be able to hurt anyone else anymore. No one will have to go through what Evelyn did.” 

“Yeah, guess you’re right.” Judy gave a weak smile. 

“So, back to your place?” V asked. 

“If you’d like. I’m sure Evelyn will want to hear the good news.”

* * *

_At Judy's Apartment_

“Hey you tw-woah V! Tried to start something I see.” Evelyn jested as V and Judy walked through the door. 

V reached up and tenderly touched the discolored and slightly swollen left side of her face, wincing at the contact. 

“More like tried to finish something. Judy, wanna tell her?”

Judy ran a hand through her fringe and took a deep breath before continuing. 

“We had a run in with Woodman…made sure he won’t be able to hurt anyone ever again.” 

“You mean…” Evelyn began to tremble slightly. 

“Yeah.” Judy replied, voice just above a whisper. 

Evelyn froze where she stood, a combination of anger and relief on her face. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes as she balled her fists hard enough to whiten the knuckles.“…thank you.” Was all she was able to whisper while trying to maintain her composure. 

V walked over and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Promised I’d help take care of Clouds, but the job’s not done yet. He was only one head of this beast, still have a few more to shoot off.” 

Evelyn dabbed away the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks. 

“Got a plan on how to take care of the rest of them?” She asked. 

“Everything’s up in the air at the moment, need to wait to see if Maiko will come around to our side first. She sorta…kicked us out earlier, but she did hand over Woodman.” V replied. 

“That means she’s not out of the picture just yet, that’s something.” 

“Still, it’s hard to tell at this point if we can even pull this off without her. I can’t exactly sneak in again, they’ve probably got my face plastered on a wall somewhere next to all the rest of the ‘unsavory’ customers. Could always go in guns blazin’ as a last resort, but that wouldn’t be the smartest approach for this gig. Don’t wanna risk havin’ dolls end up as collateral.” 

They moved their conversation over to the lounge area of the apartment. Judy made sure to grab V a cold compress for her cheek, which the merc initially refused. Judy insisted with the flash of a smile, causing the merc to have a sudden change of heart. 

“If Maiko doesn’t come through, I can still get you into Clouds at the very least. Beyond that, ‘fraid you’re on your own.” Evelyn said. 

_A way in without forcing it, always useful._

“Mean to say you’ve got another way in? Front door’s not really an option after all.” V asked. 

“I’ve got full elevator access for the entire building, could even get you into the penthouse if you needed it.” 

_Penthouse? Of course there’s a fucking penthouse. Come on Evelyn, can’t we just burn it to the ground? Won’t have to worry about elevators then._

“Y’know, if I can get my hands on one of their main access points, then I could black out their Net. It would force them to close for the day since they wouldn’t be able to jack anyone in.” Judy added. 

“Or off.” V chimed in as she took off the cold compress from her cheek. 

Judy rolled her eyes, V tried to grin but found it too painful. 

“Still, we need Maiko to round up the bosses, draw them out of whatever cesspit they reside in.” Judy continued. 

“How long do we want to wait for her to get back to us? Will she even get back to us? As you saw, she was perfectly fine with having security throw us out on our asses a few hours ago.”

“She will. Knowing her, she’ll want to toy with us a bit first before offering any sort of concrete answer. We’ll give her a week. After that, guess it’s back to square one.” 

* * *

V was fast asleep when her holo pinged. Her HUD displayed [2:24] in bright red lettering in the upper right and a familiar ghost avatar in the upper left. Her heart began to race out of both excitement and concern. She wasted no time accepting the call. Judy materialized on her display wearing a t-shirt that was one size too big for her. V could tell she hadn’t been up long either given the disheveled state of her green and pink hair.

_I know I just opened my eyes seconds ago and I’m not wearing my glasses, but she’s fuckin’ beautiful._

“Hey V! Sorry to bother you this early…late? Anyways, I had to let you know as soon as I could. It’s about Maiko-she’s in.” Judy explained, voice raspier than usual. 

_Only took her four fucking days._

Even in her groggy state V felt some relief come over her. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a content sigh. 

“Fuckin’ nova. So, when are we doin’ this?” 

“Was thinkin’ we can discuss everything at my place tomorrow. You free to come by around 9?”

“I’ll be there, but can I make one request?” 

“Of course, V. Anything.”

“Have a pot of that preem organic grind waitin’ for me.” V grinned as much as her still slightly tender cheek allowed.”

“I’ll make as much as it can hold.” Judy said, a warm smile plastered on her face. 

“Can’t wait. By the way, nice shirt.” 

Judy looked down at her shirt and pulled it up at the shoulders to give V a better view of the text. ‘ _Perilous Future_ ’ was outlined in white, giving a sharp contrast against the yellow of the shirt. 

“Thanks, bought it at their last tour two years back.”

V tried her best to stifle a yawn that hand snuck up on her. 

“Sorry ‘bout that. It’s not you, I swear. I like Perilous Furtur!”

Judy laughed at her. 

“No worries V, I’ll let you get back to sleep.”

“Thanks, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Have a good night Jude.”

“Sweet dreams V.” 

* * *

The next day V was back at Judy’s door, once again pushing the button to activate the com. 

_Wish she would give me a special ‘merc pass’ or something._

The door deactivated a moment later and she was instantly greeted by the smell of freshly brewed organic coffee, bringing a smile to her face. Judy poked her head around the refrigerator, smiling as she spotted V. 

“Mornin’ you.” She said as she handed V her largest mug. 

“Good mornin’ right back at ya.” V replied, taking the mug and enjoying the warmth it brought. 

They made their way into the office. Judy sat down at her computer and pulled up her email. 

“Maiko sent me a message detailing everything. Think she figured it was best if we didn’t have to talk to each other over the holo. Anyways, you can read the whole thing for yourself.” She gestured to the monitor and rolled her chair away to give V some space. 

V walked over the the screen and began to read through the exchange. 

_To: Judy Álvarez_  
_From Maiko Maeda_

_[Fine, I’ll take the Mox’s offer. But first, I’m gonna need this shit in writing before I do a damn thing for you. If I’m not guaranteed the terms you promised, you and V will just have to find another way to pull off your little plan.]_

  
_To: Maiko Maeda_  
_From: Judy Álvarez_

_[I’ll have Suzie draw up something and send it your way, get it notarized and everything._  
_Thanks Maiko, I mean it.]_

  
_To: Judy Álvarez_  
_From: Maiko Maeda_

_[Don’t mention it-ever. Paperwork’s been finalized. I’ve arranged a meeting for all three bosses at the Penthouse. Next Friday, 10AM. Do what you need to do, I won’t be there.]_

V stepped back from the computer and crossed her arms across her chest. 

“Fuck, that’s two days from now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Maiko decided to take the deal, but something tells me she intentionally gave us such a short window to work with.” 

“Wouldn’t’ put it past her. But still, we can run with this. I doubt she meant to, but she ended up doin’ us a huge fuckin’ favor getting them all together at the Penthouse-Evelyn can help us get access to that meeting.” 

_There’s still a decent handful of their gonks that need to be handled as well._

V paced around the office for a few minutes, merc mind processing all the new information and running through several scenarios all at once.

“Earth to V.” Judy called out after a few minutes, waving her hand to get her attention. “Gonna tell me what you’re thinkin’?” 

V stopped her pacing and faced Judy, her furrowed brow relaxing as an impish grin slowly spread across her lips. 

“I’m gonna need to make a quick stop at Vik’s clinic tomorrow. That, and I hope you’re ready to do a bit of hacking.” 

* * *

_Friday_

V stood at the base of the Megabuilding H8, an _Ajax_ assault rifle slung across her back and Overture holstered on her right hip. She shielded her eyes as she gazed up to the top of the building, admiring all 55 floors. She took some time to savor the calm of the moment, knowing full well that the storm they were about to unleash wasn’t too far behind. A glance down at her watch informed her that it was 0930.

_Showtime._

“You ready?” Judy asked as she moved to stand next to V. 

“Could ask you the same thing.” V replied, resting an arm on Judy’s shoulder. 

_See you’re not smoking, that’s a good sign._

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess. Just feels surreal is all.”

 _I know what you mean, who would have thought we’d be able to throw together a plan as ambitious as this…haven’t even taken the first steps and already I can’t help but think about what’s gonna happen after…with us. Is there even an ‘us’?_ _At the drive in you told me you’d be ready to leave Night City once we were done here, but would you even consider leaving…with me?_

V snapped out of her thoughts and tried to refocus on the task at hand.

“Just run a few more gigs with me, then you’ll get used to the feeling.” V jested, trying to lighten up the situation. “Alright, let’s begin.” 

They headed up the stairs and back to the building’s main elevator, pressing the button for the now familiar maintenance level. Evelyn had informed them that there was another elevator on the level located off to the right that would allow them to reach the Penthouse. She had also transferred her biometric data to V, granting her full elevator privileges as well as Penthouse access. 

“Follow my lead.” V instructed as they continued to ascend, not exactly sure of what to expect once the doors opened. 

_At least it won’t be Woodman waiting for us._

She crouched down and kept her back against the side of the elevator, Judy copied her actions as instructed. V held her breath as they came to a stop at the third floor. The doors opened, revealing two Tyger Claws in the area who appeared to be performing generator maintenance. Engrossed in their work, they were seemingly undisturbed by the elevator’s arrival.

“Cover me, just in case.” She whispered. Judy withdrew her Chao and nodded to V. 

Taking advantage of their distracted state, V wasted no time in making quick, silent work of the two men. Once she confirmed that the perimeter was secure, she waved for Judy to join her. Judy holstered her pistol and began searching the area off to the right.

“Aha! There you are.” She remarked, walking over to a monitor and panel that were mounted to one of the building’s main pillars. “Thought I saw this last time we were here, glad to see I was right. Time to jack in and see what I can do.” She smirked. 

_Good, she’s in her element._

“Aaaaaaand we’re in.” Judy announced after cracking the ICE. “Alright, let’s see here. So far I’ve got eyes on all their surveillance cams, the alarm system…” She made a few quick adjustments. “…which is now offline, and their internal messages. And I’m sure I can dig up more if you need anything else.”

“What about the power supply for the 12th floor? Any way you can mess with it?”

“Pfft, in my sleep. Come on V.” She jested. 

“Nova.” V grabbed the assault rifle from behind her back and rotated it to a low ready position in front of her, performing a quick functions check before loading a 30 round magazine. She pulled back the slide then let it ride forward, chambering the first round. “We’ll link up on the holo. I’ll head up to the Penthouse and deal with the bosses first, then we’ll deal with the rest of them.” She grinned. 

“Can’t wait.” Judy replied, a hint of excitement in her voice. 

V made her way to the elevator Evelyn had told them about, pressing the button for the 55th floor. 

_Damn, should’ve brought along some incendiary grenades. Could have at least burned down the Penthouse._

After a few moments the elevator doors opened, revealing the vast expanse of rooftop. 

“Alright, made it to the roof, now what?” V asked. 

“Ev said there was a gate off to the left. If you can get through that, there should be a small stairwell that’ll put you right on top of the Penthouse. Just…be careful V.”

“Always am.”

_Well, most of the time._

V followed Judy’s instructions and immediately headed left after exiting the elevator. She grappled with the chain link fence door for a moment before successfully forcing her way through. She continued up the stairs to the uppermost portion of the roof, noting two skylights to the left of her position. 

_Best stay out of sight for now._

“Hey Jude, what’s the situation lookin’ like inside?”

“I’m counting…four guards on the inside and…one on the balcony.” She sniggered, catching V off guard. “Looks like the bosses are in a room on the second floor.” 

“Can I ask what’s so funny about a Penthouse full of Tyger Claws?”

“Oh nothing, just the fact that the bosses are in the middle of scollin’ BDs right now.”

V couldn’t contain the wicked smile that flashed across her lips. 

“Wanna do me a favor and lock ‘em in? Y’know, for good measure.”

“Eh, I’ll think about it.” Judy teased. 

_Smartass. Guess I’ve been rubbing off on her._

“One more thing. Would you say their guards are concentrated more on the north or south end?” V asked as she unslung her assault rifle, eyeing the two skylights once more. 

“South.” 

“Nova. Hope you enjoy the show.” She grinned. 

V carefully made her way to the northmost skylight, keeping a low profile as she neared close enough to peer down below. She activated her Kiroshis, marking the positions of the four guards inside before maneuvering herself into the lower left corner. With a plan of attack now in mind, she gathered all her strength and swiftly brought the butt of her assault rifle down on the glass, shattering it and creating a rain of falling shards. She unhooked two flashbang grenades from her belt and tossed them down below, waiting for the signature ‘bang’ before dropping down below, reinforced tendons absorbing the majority of the force. 

The four men inside were coughing from the smoke, trying to regain their bearings from the disorienting effects of the grenades. V immediately shouldered and sighted down her rifle, quickly emptying half of the magazine into the two unsuspecting guards on the upper level before hopping over the railing and dispatching the other two guards on the lower level. The guard who had been posted outside on the patio heard the commotion and rushed in through the sliding glass door. He fired his pistol in V’s direction, forcing her to dive for cover behind the Penthouse’s bar. She crouched behind the barrier and slung her rifle behind her back, withdrawing Overture in its place and waiting patiently for the glass bottles behind her to stop exploding. Eventually the glass stopped falling on her and she heard the familiar metallic clank of a pistol’s hammer falling uselessly against the firing pin. 

_Gotcha._

She dove from the bar and slid across the marble floor on her left side, Overture leveled at the man’s torso. She proved to be too fast for him, sending three rounds into his chest before he could even point his weapon at her. She scrambled to her feet, keeping her guard up as she searched the area for any hidden surprises. 

“Any changes Judy?” 

“Nope. They’re still blissfully unaware.” 

“How about downstairs at the club?”

Judy took a moment to scan all of the security cameras within Clouds. 

“Still seein’ business as usual.”

_So far so good._

V took a second to brush the fragments of glass from her hair and reload both her weapons.

“Nova. Ready to unlock the door?”

“Should only take a sec.” 

V heard a door slide open upstairs shortly after.

“They’re all yours V.”

“Thanks Judy.”

V made her way back up to the second level where the meeting was being held, taking a few deep calming breaths just outside the doorway. 

“Hey Jude?”

“What’s up V?” 

“For Evelyn.” V said as she readied Overture. 

“For Evelyn” Judy responded. 

She cautiously took the first few steps into the room, checking for any hidden security measures. After her search came up empty, she strolled over to the center of the room. All three bosses were wearing BD wreaths, completely lost to whatever digital world they were in. 

_Like shooting fish in a barrel…Tygers in a barrel? Whatever, fuck ‘em._

She sighted down Overture and quickly fired all six rounds, three heads exploding in a spray of red and gore. V didn’t bother to give the bosses a second look as she left the room and made her way back to the roof. 

“It’s done.” V stated.

“Fuck V.”

“Ah, right. You saw all of that…probably from about three different angles…sorry.” She let out a nervous chuckle.

“Nothing I haven’t seen before you gonk. Now get your ass back here.” 

V rode the elevator back down to the maintenance level, still in slight disbelief that with Judy’s help she had just eliminated three gang bosses with absolute precision. The sound of the elevator doors opening brought V out of her moment of reflection. She exited the lift and walked over to the access point. 

“You’ve got a little somthin’” Judy said as she wiped away a small blood splatter from V’s cheek with her thumb. 

“Heh, thanks. Ready to have some fun now?”

“Already was, but I won’t say no to some more.”

“Nova. Kill their Net and internal network.” 

“With pleasure.” Judy smirked, blacking out Clouds in a matter of moments. “They’ll try to reboot, but it won’t do them any good. It’ll take ‘em a few hours to figure that out, so now we wait.”

Four hours passed before a scan of the surveillance cameras confirmed that their plan had worked. Without access to the Net and their AI system, Clouds was unable to continue operations. Judy continued to monitor the inside, tracking the last patron as he left the VIP area bar. Another camera showed the remaining dolls leaving the locker room and heading for the elevator. She smirked as she switched over to the camera in their server room, watching a man frantically try to restore the Net. 

“…and that was the _first_ time I got shot.” V concluded, having spent the past few hours exchanging stories with Judy. 

Judy snickered at V’s anecdote.

“I’ll have to keep an eye out that scar next time.” 

“You just want to look at my ass again.” V smirked.

“Whatever gonk. Anyways, time to get back to work. Dolls and guests have cleared out, I’m just seeing their bouncers shooting the shit with one another. Looks like there’s one holding down reception and five of them up in the VIP area, plus the poor choom trying to reboot the Net in the server room.”

_Lucky number seven._

“Perfect. Guess this is my cue to head back down.” She got up from the ground and brushed herself off before looking over her iron. “I’ll let you know when to cut the power.”

“Nova, but just know that once I do, I won’t be able to use the cams to keep an eye out for you.”

“No worries, Viktor’s little gift should be the only eyes I need.” She grinned, tapping the corner of her right eye. 

Minutes later she was winding her way through the purple neon lighted hallway that led to Clouds’ reception area. She paused just before rounding the final corner, her assault rifle at the low ready position. 

“Alright Jude, now.” 

She rounded the corner and spotted the first Tyger Claw behind the reception desk. He had just enough time to shout out a warning to V before everything went dark. The lack of light immediately activated her new night vision implants, enabling her to see the man as he looked around frantically trying to make sense of what was happening. He didn’t bother to take cover behind the desk and ended up with four rounds in his chest. 

_That’s one._

She continued further inside after forcing open the doors to the main floor. The gunfire from earlier hadn’t gone unnoticed. She heard yelling upstairs and soon saw a man attempting to make his way down the stairs to investigate, holo held out in front of him in an attempt to provide some illumination. She surprised him by coming from the left side and fired off several rounds, his corpse sliding down the last few stairs seconds later. She stepped over him and walked up the stairs, pausing at the top.

_That makes two._

The remaining Tyer Claws started blind firing in the direction of the stairs. V unhooked the last two flashbang grenades from her belt and lobbed them around the corner, further disorienting her assailants. The gunfire ceased and was replaced with the sound of several men choking on the smoke. She rounded the corner and sprinted for cover behind the nearest S.C.S.M., taking a brief moment to ready herself before peaking around the right side and emptying her rifle’s magazine into two Tyger Claws. She switched to Overture, leaning off to the left and sending well placed shots to two more of her assailants. 

_Just one more now, must be the Net choom._

She heard the last man panic as he fired the last of his bullets in her general direction. He at least had the common sense to take cover behind the bar. V sprinted over to his position and vaulted over the bar, taking the man unawares and snapping his neck in one violent twist. With her her adrenaline still up, she vaulted back over the bar and continued to scan the area for any lingering thugs. All she met was silence and the sound of her heavy breathing. 

“Alright, I think that’s all of them. Time to turn the lights back on.”

A few minutes later and V saw the the room flicker back to life, the lights immediately highlighting the copious amount of bullet casings and blood that littered the floor.   
  
“See anything Judy?”

“Just a merc and a handful of corpses.”

V chuckled at Judy's assessment. 

“So, it’s really done then?”

“Looks like it, I’m not seein’ anything else on the cams. Meet you down at the stairs?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few.” 

_It’s finally over. Never thought I’d see the day._

* * *

V and Judy sat at at the base of the Megabuilding stairs, sharing a cigarette between the two of them. 

“Thanks Judy, for everything back there. Couldn’t have done that without you.” She smiled. 

“I just pressed a few buttons, you’re the one that delivered the lead.”

“’ _Pressed a few buttons_ ’ she says.” V joked. “More like ‘ _nuked everything electrical in the place and did all the hard work for me_ ’.” 

Judy laughed and blushed at V’s remark. 

“You know what this calls for?” Judy asked. 

“What?”

“A Sunday dive.” She smiled, making V’s heart melt. 

“Usually, people go for a Sunday _drive_ -not a Sunday dive.” V jested. “I was gonna say a bottle of Centzon, but I guess a dive is also nice.”

“Wanna join me?”

_What? You want to bring someone along that’s never dived a day in their life?_

“Yeah!” V exclaimed before pretending to clear her throat. “I mean, yeah. Sure. Sounds like it could be a fun time.” 

“Now that much I can guarantee.” She looked V in the eyes and gave her a brief wink before standing up and gathering her gear. “See you Sunday V.” She flashed a smirk as she walked away. 

V’s cheeks turned beet red, highlighted further by the blood droplets that still adorned her face. 

_She still means diving…right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long update gap, writing lots of dialogue and action was a lot harder than anticipated. But hey, our ladies fuckin' did it, now they'll have some time to unwind. 
> 
> Next time: Judy and V go for a Sunday dive  
> Chapter 20: The Bells of Laguna Bend


End file.
